History Lesson
by off2neverland
Summary: Alexandria Monroe, better known as Alex, travels to New York City to live with her uncle Larry Daley for the summer after high school graduation. She wants to be an Egyptologist, but soon discovers she is much closer to being an ancient artifact herself than being the one that studies them. And what happens when she falls for one?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

I'm throwing my clothing into my suitcase as if my life depends on it. Frankly, it does. Shirts, shorts, pants, shoes, dresses, and every other article of clothing that I own. Toiletries? Check. Do I have my charger? There it is. Headphones? Got them.

"Alex! You're going to miss your flight!"

"Coming!"

I zip up my carry-on as quick as I can, grabbing my phone and throwing my backpack over my shoulder. I throw one last glance into my room. Who knows when I'll see it again? Hopefully not for a long time. I turn away before I can get too sentimental, and run down the stairs as quickly as my carry-on will allow. Mom is waiting in the kitchen, keys dangling from her paint covered fingertips. She's an artist, and frequently forgets to wash the paint off of her hands. Today is no exception.

"Let's go! You're going to miss it!"

"I know! Just let me grab some breakfast."

"Already done."

She gestures to the paper plate on the counter, half of a homemade chocolate chip muffin resting on top. Good enough. I can buy food on the plane. I snatch up the plate and we head out the door to the car. I toss my suitcase and backpack into the trunk as Mom starts the engine. I hop into the passenger's seat, barely having enough time to close the door before she speeds off.

"We can still make it if I hurry." Mom mumbles, more to herself than to me.

"Just don't get pulled over."

"I won't."

She speeds to the airport. I turn on my phone at least once every minute, checking the little white numbers on the screen. Dad already checked me in online, so that's covered. I'll have to make it through security in time. I check the clock again. It's nine thirty, my plane leaves at ten fifteen. Luckily, we don't live very far from the airport. Mom pulls in to the drop off area. She climbs out of the car and grabs my suitcase from the trunk. She wraps her arms around me in a tight hug.

"I love you so much. I'm going to miss you." she says into my hair.

"I'm going to miss you, too. Tell Dad I love him."

"Of course. Make sure to call me when you land, okay?"

"Alrighty."

She kisses my cheek, and I sling my backpack over my shoulder. I grab my suitcase.

"Bye, Mom."

"Call me when you land!"

You said that already. "I promise."

I walk into the airport without a backwards glance. If I turn around, I might start to cry. I'm going to miss my parents. Well, at least I refer to them that way. I'm adopted. I don't worry about it too much, but I'd like to know my biological parents at some point in my life. I digress. But anyways, it's good for me to get out of here. Spread my wings. Right? Larry will take good care of me until I'm ready to move into my own place, and until then, I'll have him and Nicky. Maybe then I could find my birth parents. I'll be fine. I walk as quickly as I can. I'm only five foot six, so I can't cover as much distance as I wish I could in a time like this. I run to security, getting my phone out and pulling up my boarding pass. The line is short, thankfully, and the TSA agent scans my pass with barely even a glance at me.

"Alexandria Monroe?"

"Yep."

"Third line, please."

I jump into the third security line, taking off my shoes and throwing my luggage onto the conveyor belt. I feel like screaming, but I'm keeping it under control. I check the time on the wall clock, it's nine fifty three. The plane leaves in twenty minutes. I can make it. I get through security and rush down the escalator with my luggage. The gate is at the end of the terminal, and I have ten minutes. As if to taunt me, the flight attendant announces the first round of passengers have boarded the plane, and the next group can start boarding. I can see the gate, B25, to New York City, at the end of the terminal.

I rush into the boarding area, trying to act like I didn't almost just miss my ticket out of Oregon. I'm here. I made it. I hand the woman my phone for her to scan. She wishes me a pleasant flight, and I make my way down the hall to the plane. I climb on, where the flight attendants greet me with complimentary headphones. I'm in the middle of the plane, by the window. No sooner have I sat down they begin the safety speech. This flight doesn't have televisions, so I'll have to rely on my music. No loss there, in my book. The seatbelt signs flash. The plane begins to move. I pop in my earbuds and turn on some music, an alternative rock playlist that I haven't listened to in a while. I fall asleep.

* * *

A ding wakes me from my nap. I look around to find passengers standing up and grabbing their suitcases from the overhead compartments. Here already? I stand up and stretch. I make my way out of the row of seats and grab my suitcase from overhead. I slide my backpack strap over my shoulder and make my way off of the plane. Larry said that he would meet me by the baggage claim. I see a sign directing me to it, and I follow the rest of the passengers. New York is three hours ahead of Oregon, and the flight was five hours… So it's about six o' clock here? I'm starved, all I've eaten today was that muffin. I make it to the baggage claim, and there's Larry. He hasn't seen me yet, he's looking at the passengers in front of me. I hide behind a taller man until I'm close enough to run at him.

"Larry!"

I wrap him in a hug. He stumbles back a little before hugging me back.

"I didn't recognize you! Look how much you've grown. You've just graduated high school, huh?"

"Yep."

"Wow. You're almost as old as me."

We laugh, before he turns and leads me out the door into the warm summer evening. It seems as if everything has fallen back into place. Larry and I have an amazing bond, he's almost like a father instead of an uncle to me. Well, we aren't necessarily related, like, at all. He married my aunt, they got divorced, and we still hang out all the time. We may not see each other much, but when we do, we always have the best times. This is going to be an amazing year.

"Are you hungry?"

"Starved, actually."

"Good. I ordered a pizza for the three of us back at the apartment."

"Three? Nicky's here?"

"Yeah. He decided to take a year off from college, like you did. I didn't like the idea at first, but I'm realizing it's good for him."

"Oh. Well, that's cool. I wasn't expecting to see much of him."

"Well lucky for you, he's still living with me. I'll kick him out eventually."

I laugh, "You don't have the heart."

We walk up next to his car, he opens the trunk and puts my suitcase inside. It's a nice car, black and sleek. I don't know much about cars, but it looks expensive. Ever since he sold his company, he's had some good money to play with.

"You went back to that night guard thing, right?"

"Yeah. Full time head of night security."

"Wow. That's cool! Maybe I can come with you sometime?"

"Maybe. Maybe."

He sounds a lot less sure than I thought he would. Does he not want me there? He pulls out of the parking space and out of the airport, hopping on the freeway. His apartment is a good half hour from the airport, so we have a while.

"So what's been going on with you?" Larry asks in an attempt to break the silence.

"Not much. Just trying to figure out what to do with my life."

He chuckles, "Don't worry about it. You're now in the same boat with Nicky. I'm sure he can give you some advice. After all, he's been 'figuring out what to do with his life' for the past year."

I laugh, "I guess so. I think a year off from school will be good for me. I can learn about different careers and stuff."

"Like…?"

"I'm really interested in history. Especially Egyptian history. I just find their culture so fascinating. They were really ahead of the times for living as far back as they did. That's kind of my main idea now, but I want to maybe get some field experience before I go jumping into a college degree."

Larry makes a soft sound of approval, "Makes you wish you could talk to a pharaoh, huh?"

I laugh, "If only life was that kind."

"You'd be surprised."

"What do you mean?"

He clears his throat, "Nothing. There's just so much information floating around that you shouldn't have too hard of a time."

"Right. But that's my point! I want to find new stuff. Undiscovered information. Exciting treasures. I don't know. I'm going off on a whim, now. It's not like we could afford to go to Egypt."

"Oh, I don't know about that. Raise the money! And I could help a little bit, too. It would be a fun adventure."

"I suppose it would."

We drive the rest of the way in silence, allowing the radio station to do the talking for us.

 _ **boom dropping that chapter bomb! hello again. it's been too long. at lot has gone on since I've last been here, I've started writing three new stories (this one being one of them) that I'm going to be updating as I write. I've decided to stop putting pressure on myself to post things, because then I rush the creative process and the chapters never turn out as good :/ so stick around, because a lot of new stories will be popping up in tons of different categories. much love! please review, favorite, and follow, and I'll see you soon! :D 3**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Larry pulls into a parking space at the apartment complex, grabbing my suitcase from the trunk as I sling my backpack over my shoulder. I follow him through the front doors, held open for us by an older doorman with a kind smile. I thank him as we pass. We go straight to the elevators and get on, he presses the button for the top floor, floor seventy two. The elevator is surprisingly fast. He slides his key into the lock on the door, and we enter. The apartment is huge and beautiful, with stainless steel appliances, white walls, and an amazing view of the city below. There is a kitchen and living room, with a bathroom to the left. There is a hallway that I assume leads to the bedrooms.

"Wow. Nice place."

"Ah, it's nothing."

I roll my eyes. He's one of the most modest people I know. I can hear faint strains of techno music, probably Nicky.

"Is Nicky still doing the deejay thing?"

"Yep. He wants to move to L.A." Larry replies with a sigh.

"Well that would be fun."

Larry opens the pizza box on the counter and grabs a slice, "I didn't know what you wanted, so I just got pepperoni."

"That's fine. Where do you want me to put my stuff?"

"Oh, right. This place only has two bedrooms. So I'm kicking Nick out of his room for you. He's probably packing up now."

"Oh, that's really not necess-"

Larry cuts me off with a look. He's teaching Nicky to be a gentleman, which in this case means giving up your bedroom to your cousin no matter how much she doesn't care about sleeping on the couch.

"I'll go kick him out." I say.

"You do that." Larry replies, mouth full.

I grab my suitcase and lug it to the carpeted hallway. There are two doors here, so I pick the one that is the loudest. I open the door to find Nicky sitting on the bed. The room looks clean, perhaps preparing for my arrival. He looks up. His face lights up with a grin, and he presses pause on the laptop to shut off the music.

"Hey, Alex!"

He scoops me into a tight hug, lifting me off the ground a little. I'm realizing how much I've missed his hugs.

"Hey, Nick. I missed you."

"I missed you, too. How have you been?"

He pulls away and smiles at me.

"I've been good. What about you?"

"Fine. I'm so happy you're here. There's so much to do in New York!" he says to me, excitement flashing in his eyes like a five year old.

"I can't wait for you to show me everything. Larry said I have to kick you out."

Nicky rolls his eyes, "Yeah yeah. Dad's making me sleep on the couch, so, you're welcome."

He gives me a playful punch on the arm, which I return.

"Thank you!" I singsong as he leaves the room.

I place my suitcase at the foot of the bed, and flop back onto the mattress. I forgot to call Mom! I dial her number as fast as I can. Knowing her, she probably memorized the time my flight landed, and is worrying about me right now. She picks up on the first ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Mom! Arrived in New York, safe and sound."

"Good. I was starting to worry about you."

"Nothing to worry about. I'm here, and Larry ordered pizza for Nick and I."

"He's there?"

"Yep. He took a year off from college just like me."

"That's cool, honey. I'll let you go so you can eat. Call me tomorrow if you can, okay?"

"Okay. Love you!"

"Love you too."

She hangs up. That was easy. I suppose I should go eat. I pick myself up off of the bed, glancing out the window. The view is quite nice, I can see everything! The sun is going to set soon. Maybe Larry will let me come to work with him! I want to get up close and personal with all of the exhibits. Especially Egypt. I get downstairs to find only two slices left.

"Who ate all the pizza?"

I turn to find Nick, frozen mid bite as he realizes he's been caught. His plate is loaded with what looks like half of the pizza.

"Sorry?" he mumbles, mouth full of food.

"Whatever." I playfully roll my eyes at him and grab a slice of pizza as Larry comes out of the other bedroom. He looks ready to go.

"Are you leaving for work?" I ask.

"Yeah. I'll see you guys in the morning."

"Can I come?"

He stops in his tracks, "Uh, maybe not tonight. I have a lot of paperwork to go through and I wouldn't be able to show you around."

"Please? Please please please? Pretty _please_?"

Larry glances over at Nicky, who gives him a slight nod. Hm. Larry sighs.

"Oh, fine."

"Yes! Thank you thank you thank you! I'll be good. I promise."

He gives a half hearted chuckle, "I'm sure you will. Let's go."

I wave at Nicky as we leave. We head to the elevator, and glide down to the bottom floor. Larry leads me out the door and on to the sidewalk. He's oddly quiet, and a little tense. I hope I didn't make him mad. We walk to the museum, luckily his apartment complex isn't very far. The sun is going to set soon. If he's the night guard, he'll at least have to be there by sunset. Maybe a few blocks? We walk to a loading dock at the back of the museum. I follow him to a back door where he swipes an ID card. The lock clicks, and we enter into a locker room of sorts. Larry goes over to another door, which he opens. It's an office. Why didn't we just go through the front doors?

"Wait here, okay? I'm just going to change and then get the museum ready for the night hours. I'll come get you in a few minutes."

An odd request, but who am I to object?

"Sure."

He gives me a grim smile, and leaves, closing the door behind him. I make myself comfortable in his swivel office chair. There's a picture of him and Nick on his desk, along with some papers. It wouldn't be that nosy for me to snoop, would it? I pick up the first sheet, it's a printed email to Larry from someone named McPhee. It's a forwarded conversation between McPhee and the "British Museum Archives". There is a short message from McPhee at the beginning of the email.

 _Hello Mr. Daley, just thought you should read this. Any idea about how this happened?_

Suddenly I'm feeling guilty. Should I even be reading this? Oh well. Can't stop now. The forwarded message begins.

 _To whom it may concern: We have discovered an exhibit belonging to the New York museum here in our Egypt area of the British museum: the pharaoh Ahkmenrah and his accompanying tablet. We received no notice of any official transfer, and our night guard had reportedly seen no one at the loading dock all night. The security footage from the evening had been deleted, and there was no one who seemed to know how this happened. We have of course sent the mummy and tablet back to your museum in the hopes that you can reinstate the pharaoh in his proper exhibit. We would like to hear anything, if at all, you know about this curious incident, and how it may have come about? We can get the police involved if necessary._

 _Thank you for your patience, and we're sorry for the misunderstanding,_

 _Edward Lundenburg, Museum Curator, London_

Wow. An exhibit in another museum? How strange. The email ends with a note from McPhee.

 _Please come see me at your nearest convenience so we can discuss how this happened, but I'm assuming it's your fault._

The email was sent a few months ago, so it must be resolved by now. That's so weird! But why would Larry have anything to do with it? Hm. A loud booming noise seems to shake the photograph on Larry's desk. What was that? It sounded just like the sound of a large animal's footstep, like a sound effect from a movie. I stand and move to the door to open it, but it won't budge. It's locked. He locked me in here?

"Larry?" I ask.

Nothing. I can faintly hear various noises through the thick wood of the door, like grunts and growls. Both human and nonhuman.

"Larry?" I call again, a little bit of panic becoming apparent in my tone.

The minutes tick by, with different, muffled noises that I can hear coming from somewhere. Where did Larry go? It's been at least five minutes. He told me to wait. I lean against the door, staring down at the floor.

"Alex?" his voice comes from right outside the door.

"Larry! Are you okay?"

"Yeah. One second."

I can hear a key being clicked into the lock of the door. Larry slips into the room as quickly as he can, closing the door behind him before the strange noises can be further amplified.

"What's going on? I can hear things outside."

He sighs, "Right. I'm going to entrust you with a secret, okay?"

"Uh, okay? I can keep a secret."

His face grows sober, "No, I'm being serious. What you're going to see is very, very strange, and it can take some getting used to, okay?"

"Larry. I know the stuff moves."

He sighs again, exasperated, "Alex. I just need you to trust me. Come on. The museum just opened."

Wordlessly, I follow him out of the office and down the hall. What is going on with him? He's being strange. Did he think I didn't know about the museum's actors and animatronics? We open into the main hall of the exhibit. There's the dinosaur, just like I saw in the footage in the news those years ago. This place is world-renowned for it's whole "bringing history to life" thing, and I have to admit, it is pretty cool. The dinosaur, though, could use a little work. It's quite jerky. But who am I to judge? The fact they got a real fossil to move is incredible enough.

President Roosevelt is making his rounds on his horse, assembling what looks like the first tour group of the night. They let an actual horse into the museum? There is a massive lit globe that is lazily spinning by the main desk. Larry is leading me to it now. We have to fight the swarming crowds to get through. A nice looking woman is sitting at the desk, answering questions for the very long line of visitors that have already piled up.

"Hey, Rebecca?" Larry interjects.

She turns, and smiles at him, "Hey Larry! What can I do for you?"

Larry steps back, revealing me, and smiles at the woman, "This is my niece, Alex. Could you make sure to set aside Sacagawea for a private tour this evening?"

Rebecca gives me a once over, and flashes Larry a knowing smile, "Certainly. Meet her at the exhibit, I'll make sure to give her a heads up."

"Thanks."

It's quite sweet that they talk about the actors like they're the characters they play. I suppose it's just to help make it seem more real for visitors. Larry leads me through the churning crowd. Roosevelt has just gathered his tour, and is giving them the introductory speech about the museum. I can only catch some phrases, but I think I heard "historic", "history", and "historical" in the span of about two sentences. All I really want to see is the Egyptian portion of the museum, even if it's small. A real mummy! How cool would it be to be able to go up to it, and to look at the sarcophagus! Maybe there will be some hieroglyphs to translate. I've been practicing.

"Excuse me?" a woman steps in front of Larry, cutting him off.

"Yeah?"

I can see him trying not to be rude. He obviously has a destination in mind, and doesn't want to be swayed.

"Could you tell me where to find the Pharaoh's tour group? My daughter wants to meet him."

"I'm sorry, Ma'am, but the Pharaoh hasn't been doing tours for the past few months, it's been temporarily discontinued. But President Roosevelt will be running another tour in about a half hour, if you'd like to wait, or you can explore the museum on your own."

She looks displeased, but manages a polite smile all the same, "Thank you for your help."

I can see her daughter's face fall. Poor thing. But will I still be able to see Egypt? That can't be "temporarily discontinued" too. Larry finally breaks through the main hall crowd, and ushers me into a hallway. We climb a set of stairs and the hum of the crowd dissipates. We make it down a few more hallways and turn several corners until I'm officially lost. He leads me into a room alive with faceless soldiers who appear to be from the Civil War. They're fighting, and each time one of them gets shot, their stuffing rips. I would have watched for while if Larry hadn't pulled me away to skirt the walls and escape the "gunfire". Why would they have actors performing in here if there aren't visitors to see them? There is an exhibit along the back wall. It is a small rocky shore with tall pine trees, and a tiny boat swaying in the water. Two men are consulting a map together, while a woman stands off to the side, gazing into the ripples of the lake.

"Hey, Sacagawea."

The woman turns. I'm still not understanding why they have so many people in such a slow area of the museum. And why does Larry still call her by her character when there's no one else around?

"Hello, Larry. You wanted a tour?" her voice is as tranquil as the fake scenery around her.

"I'm hoping you could give my niece a private tour? This is Alex."

He steps back to let me shake her hand. She gives me a warm smile, "Nice to meet you, Alex. You can call me Wea."

"Um, thank you?" I manage a confused smile. This woman strikes me as a very maternal figure. I like her.

"Show her everything." Larry says, a slight emphasis on the word "everything".

Sacagawea, or, Wea, gives him a knowing smile all too similar to Rebecca's. I'm starting to feel like I'm missing something.

"Of course. Leave it to me."

Larry gives her a tight smile and turns to me, "I'll catch up with you in an hour or so. I have stuff to do."

"Okay. Bye."

He walks away without a backwards glance. Wea smiles at me.

"Shall we begin?"

 _ **hello again! posting this chapter in honor of two beautiful humans, Radwoman and katiesgotagun! thank you guys so so so much for being the first to favorite/follow the story! I'm glad you're liking it! also, hello to my mysterious guest reviewer, I think it's super cool that you want to be an Egyptologist! don't worry, there will be plenty of Egyptian history in this story for you and I to geek-out on haha. anyways, I hope you enjoyed, and please review, favorite, and follow! please remember to check out my other two stories, "the First" and "Rose as Red as Blood"! Fair warning, "the First" is a bit of a work in progress as of now, so maybe leave that one alone for a little bit haha. give them both a follow if you like, so you can get updates when a new chapter is posted! until next time lovelies :)**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

"Wea" leads me through the museum exhibits, pointing out interesting features and reciting facts. Finally, I work up the nerve to ask her a question.

"What's it like working here?"

She pauses, "It's… very nice. I enjoy history."

"And do you like giving tours?"

"Oh, yes. The spark in a child's eye when he learns is unlike anything else. It's wonderful."

"That's sweet."

She seems very nice. I want to know her real name, but I feel like that might be stretching it a little. She already broke character to tell me these things. We walk by a hallway, the first one she has walked by without talking about it.

"What's down here?"

"Oh, nothing. Just an old exhibit." she suddenly looks a little nervous.

"Can we go see it?"

"It's closed."

"Well then there's no harm in just taking a peek, is there?"

I walk down the hallway before she can protest. I hear her sigh, but she follows me. The hallway leads to a single stone archway. It appears to be carved with Egyptian hieroglyphs. Is this the pharaoh's exhibit? The archway is blocked by a locked metal gate, and the exhibit is dark. I can't see inside the room at all. There is a sign on the gate in big letters.

 **THIS EXHIBIT IS TEMPORARILY CLOSED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE, AND WE APOLOGIZE FOR THE INCONVENIENCE.**

Temporarily closed sounds a lot like what Larry said about the Pharaoh, "temporarily discontinued". Is this it? I stare as hard as I can at the glyphs. All I'm able to get is something about the power of Khonsu, the Egyptian god of the moon and time.

"Wea, what exhibit is this?"

"It's closed for renovations right now."

She's avoiding my question. I stare into the darkness, trying to see what could be inside. It's like trying to look through solid rock.

"What was it before renovation?"

She sighs in consent, "It holds the sarcophagus of Ahkmenrah, and his tablet."

My breath catches in my throat. I knew it.

"He's in there? Oh please, Wea, can we look inside? Please?"

"We shouldn't trespass. It's closed for a reason."

Wea looks as if she knows exactly what that reason is.

"Oh, come on. It couldn't be dangerous."

"You don't know that."

What does she mean?

"Alex, I'm sorry, but we can't. Let's keep going."

I heave a sigh. There's no point in fighting back. Wea turns back down the hallway, and I have no choice but to follow. Just then, a low moan seeps from the darkness of the exhibit. What was that? I turn back around and peer through the gates, but it's too dark. I probably just imagined it. I want to go in so badly I'm hallucinating! I shake my head to clear my thoughts, and walk back down the hall. Maybe Larry can let me in once the museum closes tonight. Sacagawea leads me through many other rooms and halls, but I'm hardly paying attention anymore. There is an actual _mummy_ in this museum, and yet I'm not allowed to see it. That seems highly unfair.

The time flies, it is well past an hour and Larry hasn't come to get me. Wea seems to be running out of things to show me. Haven't we passed that Easter Island statue already? It seems to be chewing gum. How interesting. A voice that sounds like Rebecca's comes over the PA system.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the museum is closing. Please make your way to the exits, and enjoy your night. Thank you for visiting the Museum of Natural History, where history comes to life."

The few visitors arounds us start to exit, but Sacagawea and I don't move.

"We should probably go find Mr. Daley." Wea murmurs.

She can tell I lost interest after the pharaoh. I know I'm being rude, but I can't help it. That exhibit is the only thing I really want to see, and I have to find a way to get in. We go walking down the hallway, back to the main hall. The last of the guests are filing out the doors. I check my phone, it's ten o'clock. Rebecca and Larry are talking by the front desk, Larry glancing at me occasionally. Is he talking about me? The actors are congregated into little groups, talking and laughing. Rebecca leaves, and Larry strides over to the doors to lock them each in turn. He walks over to me.

"How did you like your tour?"

"It was fun."

He can tell I'm a little upset about something, but he doesn't ask. Instead, he turns to the rest of the museum exhibits.

"Great night, guys. Rexy, you can break."

Larry looks at me nervously.

"What's-" I start to ask. But I'm cut off by a scraping sound. A sound like grating bones. The tyrannosaurus rex fossil in front of me shakes from head to tail, like a dog shaking off water. It's massive head turns to Larry and nudges him, knocking him back a few feet. It's tail is wagging. Is it…

"alive…" I breathe.

Larry brushes off his jacket with a chuckle, "Hey, boy. Great job tonight. You looked especially robotic."

Rexy seems to understand, swishing his tail at Larry. This thing is… no. No way. This can't be happening.

"What do you think?" Larry asks me.

"Very realistic." I croak.

I feel like I'm about to pass out.

"That's because it's real. Everything in this museum comes to life at night. Even fossils. That's what I wanted to tell you earlier. The secret."

I lower myself to the floor before my knees can give out.

"Hey. You okay?"

Larry sits down next to me, putting his hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm… Actually, no. I'm not fine. These aren't actors? What are they?"

Theodore Roosevelt and Sacagawea approach us, having heard my questions.

"I'm wax. Sacagawea is polyurethane." the President smiles at me.

I let out an incredulous laugh, "And you guys just come to life every night? Just hop out of your exhibits and take a stroll? Here's the twenty fourth President of-"

"Twenty sixth." Roosevelt interjects.

I try to speak again, but my mouth can't seem to form words. These are inanimate objects. Wax. Yet they come to life. They talk. They think. They move. A thought hits me then. That's what Larry meant when he told me about talking to a pharaoh. Does Ahkmenrah come to life, too? Could I talk to a real Egyptian pharaoh?

They seem to sense that I've wrapped my head around the idea, because Roosevelt extends a hand to me, helping me to my feet. He shakes my hand.

"President Theodore Roosevelt at your service, malady. But you can call me Teddy."

I manage a weak smile.

"You've already met Sacagawea?"

She smiles at me, I return it.

"Larry, does the pharaoh come to life, too?"

"Ahk?" he asks, hesitant.

I laugh, "That's what you call him?"

Teddy and Wea look incredibly uncomfortable. What did I say?

"Um, he doesn't really want to see anyone right now. It's complicated." Larry mumbles, looking at his shoes.

"Oh." my face must have fallen farther than I felt it, because Sacagawea puts her hand on my arm.

"It's alright. Maybe you can see him later this week?"

"Could I?"

"I'm sure we can make arrangements." Teddy says warmly.

"I'd like that. Thank you."

"Well, would you like to meet everyone else?" Larry asks, clearly changing the subject.

"Um, sure."

Of course I'm disappointed, but what can I do? Wea leads me over to a group of men dressed like Asian warriors, with furs and metal armor.

"Unfortunately, our dear pharaoh is the only one who can speak fluent Hun. We won't be able to understand a lot of what Attila says, but he's a very friendly person." Teddy whispers to me.

Wea approaches the large man and taps on his shoulder, he turns around.

" _Saca_!" he shouts, wrapping her in a hug and lifting her off the ground.

" _Te vagy a kedvenc_." he murmurs, closing his eyes and rocking back and forth.

"Uh, thank you, Attila. We want to introduce our new friend, Alex." Wea steps back and reveals me.

Attila's eyes flash at me, before he rushes forward and picks me up in a bone crushing hug.

" _Orülök, hogy megismerhetem. Kedvellek_."

"Um, thanks?"

He puts me down and smiles at me, holding on to my shoulders. We stay like that for a while, in an awkward pause.

"Well," Teddy clears his throat, "we should move on."

" _Később találkozunk_!" Attila calls after us.

"Same to you!" Larry replies, despite not having a clue what the Hun is saying.

The two exhibits lead Larry and I down several hallways, until we get to a room filled with small landscapes. One, depicting a Mayan temple of sorts, has been locked up. But the others have been left open, and each diorama is going about their business. We approach a setting that appears to be the Old West, with a railroad and little figurines in cowboy hats. They come to life, too?

"Jedediah?" Wea speaks into the exhibit.

"Right here!" a tiny voice drawls.

Her face lights up, and she extends her hand into the diorama. One of the tiny figures climbs onto her hand, and she brings him up to our faces. A little man is standing on her palm, dressed in chaps and cowboy boots, with a little hat, blue shirt, tan vest, and red bandana around his neck.

"This is Larry's niece, Alex."

"Well, nice to meet ya, pretty lady!" Jedediah says. Despite being small, his voice is quite loud.

He extends a hand, and I extend a finger. He shakes it, and I giggle. His cheeky smile can be seen despite his miniature features.

"Good evening, my friends. Who have we here?" another small, yet mighty, voice calls.

I glance down to find a tiny man in Roman battle attire. He must be from the Coliseum diorama. Teddy reaches a hand down and the little figure climbs on.

"My name is Octavius, malady. It's a pleasure."

They're adorable!

"It's very nice to meet you both."

They grin.

"Well, let's keep moving." Larry says. He's in a hurry.

Teddy and Sacagawea put the two figures back in their respective dioramas. We continue through the museum to an archway marked " **Hall of African Mammals** ". There are only a few animals here that haven't left to explore the rest of the museum. A lion and his mate lounge on some rocks in the center of the room, and there are several monkeys in the trees on the sides of the exhibit. One of them swings over to our group as soon as we enter. It perches on Larry's shoulder.

"Hey, Dex. This is Alex."

The monkey regards me cooly before leaping onto my shoulder, running his tiny fingers through my hair and cooing in my ear. I laugh in surprise and delight.

"He likes you." Wea observes.

I reach up and pet him. He's kind of cute.

"Well, that's everyone. We should get back home, Alex."

Why does he want to get out of here so bad? I check my phone. It's almost one o'clock in the morning. I'm realizing how tired I am.

"Sure thing."

"Well, we'll see you guys tomorrow."

"You're leaving?" Teddy asks, confused.

"Yep. Alex is tired, we should go."

Well, I am tired, but I could easily spend the whole night here. It's Larry that wants to leave, not me. Nevertheless, Larry leads me out of the room and through the museum back to his office.

 _ **hello again! first off, a few notes: "Te vagy a kedvenc" means "You're my favorite", "Orülök, hogy megismerhetem. Kedvellek" means "Pleased to meet you. I like you" and "Később találkozunk" means "See you later". All are roughly translated Hungarian, which I know may not be historically accurate, but Hun could be shortened to Hungarian and I figured some foreign words would be more fun anyways. don't judge. ;P also, hello and thank you to my newest followers/favoriters, redhoodfan, PotterxBriefsxUchihaxKiryuu, lunashrinryu, The Time Vulcan, and iiCraziiChic! I'm SO GLAD you guys are liking the story! thank you for your support :) a new chapter is on its way (don't worry, you'll meet Ahk soon enough)! please remember to review, favorite, and follow! XOXO**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Larry tells me to stay in his security office so he can lock up and change, and leaves. This time, he doesn't lock the door. My eyes find the keys he left on his desk, and an idea hits me. An awful idea, but a good one, too. I grab the keys and his big black flashlight, tucking the keys into my palm and creeping from the office. I don't see him. I walk down the hallway quickly and back into the main hall. I climb the main stairs, passing exhibits that regard me with varying levels of interest. I'm trying to retrace my steps from earlier in the evening. I almost walk past the secluded hallway, but I stop myself before I can walk by. It seems darker than before. I click on the flashlight, allowing the beam to sweep the hallway before I walk down it. There are so many keys on this ring, how do I know what the right one is? Oh. They're labelled. I see some labelled _Mayans_ , _Lions_ , and _Front Doors_ before I find what I believe is the correct one: _Ahk_. That's what Larry said they called him, right?

I slip the key into the gate, turning it until it clicks.

I pull the gates open with a creak. Just then, a loud metallic clang sounds right in front of my face. I'm so shocked that I drop the flashlight, which rolls further into the exhibit. I take several deep breaths to calm my racing heart. I'm okay. I have no idea what that was! I tentatively swipe the air in front of me, and my palm connects with a metal pole. That's all. Hm. Do poles come to life, too? I'll have to make this quick. The flashlight has illuminated a pillar covered in glyphs, again something along the lines of eternal time and the moon's sacred light. I pick it up, only realizing my hands are shaking once the beam starts wavering. I sweep it up the walls, illuminating the hieroglyphs that are all over the walls and pillars. The room is pitch dark and as silent as a tomb, despite my erratic breathing and pounding heart. I can see that the metal spear is connected to the stone hand of a twenty foot statue, frozen in place. Creepy. Did that thing come to life and try to stab me? At this point, I wouldn't be surprised. The flashlight glares off of something in the back of the tomb. It's a golden square. Could it be the tablet? I walk towards it, my flashlight still quivering. I'm kind of scared. Beneath the tablet is the sarcophagus. But it's open. What am I about to see? A decomposed mummy? Chills creep up my spine.

"Is it time, already?" a voice asks.

I gasp. I point my beam towards a man emerging from behind a pillar towards the back of the room. He looks normal enough, except for the outfit he's wearing. A golden crown typical of lower Egypt adorns his head, with jewelry and beads covering his neck and waist, and a golden robe that sweeps the floor. His stomach is uncovered, revealing the tan skin beneath, and he has a floor length skirt complete with sandals. His eyes look tired and sad, nothing like the proud king I had envisioned. Still, this must be him.

"Larry, put that down. It's in my eyes."

I'm speechless. I can barely comply, lowering my flashlight to the floor. He blinks at me, before realizing that I'm not my uncle. Suddenly, his posture straightens, and his features gain a regal quality to them.

"I am Ahkmenrah. Fourth king of the fourth king, ruler of the land of my father's. Who are you?" his voice sounds a lot more menacing than it did before. He doesn't look like the sad man I saw just a few seconds ago.

My mouth can't even form a complete sentence. I should at least give him my full name, "Alexandria?"

"I'm sorry Alexandria, but you're going to have to leave. The museum is closed, and so is this exhibit."

He's rather cold. But what did I expect him to be? Not friendly, certainly. I want to ask him as many questions as I can, but he doesn't seem to be in the mood for an interview.

"Right. Should I go get Larry for you?"

"You know Larry Daley?" he asks, inquisitive.

"Um, yeah. He's my uncle."

"Why are you here?"

"Well, I flew in from Oregon this morning. I'm staying with Larry for a year before I end up having to do something with my life and-"

"No. What are you doing here? In this exhibit?"

"Oh." I can feel a blush creeping up my cheeks. _Duh, you idiot._

"I, uh, I wanted to see you."

"You wanted to see me?" he repeats, tilting his head ever so slightly to the right.

"Yeah I guess I just wanted to see a pharaoh but I saw you so now I guess I'll be going."

I'm starting to ramble and I know it. I need to get out of here before this can become more awkward.

"What's going on in here?"

I turn to find Larry standing in the doorway, casting me a disapproving glare.

"I was informing Alexandria that this exhibit is closed, and that she should leave." the pharaoh murmurs, his impassive eyes boring holes into mine.

"Alex? You stole my keys?"

My blush is now burning hot. This is awkward. That's my cue. I look at the Egyptian man one more time before turning away, walking out of the exhibit quickly. Larry takes his flashlight and keys as I pass. I hide right by the exit, with the hopes of hearing their conversation. I can.

"She's your niece, then?" the pharaoh asks.

"Yeah. Visiting me for a while."

"A year, she mentioned. She's rather odd."

"Not usually. I think you threw her off her game."

"Oh?" Ahkmenrah sounds accusatory, almost daring Larry to tell him that it was his fault for making me look like an idiot. It _is_ his fault, though.

"Nothing." Larry mumbles.

Ahkmenrah is kind of a jerk. What's his deal? Did his feelings get taken out of him along with his organs? I check the time on my phone again, it's one thirty. I'm quite tired. Their voices bring me back to the present again.

"Will you be bringing her tomorrow?" Ahkmenrah asks.

"Ah, maybe. If she wants to come."

"Bring her. She wants to know more about me, I think. A small tour of sorts would make me feel better."

"If that's what you want, then sure. She'd love to come. She wants to be an Egyptologist, you know."

"Oh?"

Ahkmenrah confuses me. The things he says completely contradict his tone of voice.

"Well, are you going to be okay? I have to go, but I'll have Teddy come get you to wrap you up."

Wrap him up?

I can hear the apprehension in the pharaoh's voice, "That's alright. Good morning."

"Good morning." Larry replies.

I hear Larry's footsteps come towards me. I hope he's not upset with me. Larry exits the exhibit, pulling the metal gate shut but leaving it unlocked, before he looks at me.

"Why were you in there?"

"Curiosity?"

He starts walking, not waiting to see if I'm going to follow. I do anyways.

"Of all the exhibits, you had to pick the one that was locked?"

"I'm sorry, Larry, I just wanted to see a real pharaoh-"

"It didn't live up to your expectations, did it?"

"I-" his question is so spot-on I have to pause, "well, uh, no. Not really. I was expecting-"

"Someone a little less depressed?" Larry says.

"Well, yeah."

Larry heaves a sigh, "Ever since he came back from the British museum, he's been listless. Not wanting to run tours, not wanting to interact with anyone. He holes himself up in the exhibit and doesn't say a word all night until I come back to wrap him up. I'm worried about him."

Suddenly all of those pieces of evidence click together. That email from the British museum, that woman wanting a tour… The pharaoh was different before I got here. Why couldn't I have come before this?

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know. The museum curator is upset because Ahk not being a part of the night time stuff is really hurting our visitor income. But I'm just worried about his well-being."

"Why would he be upset? Why did he even go to the British museum in the first place?"

"We went to the British museum to… to explore."

Larry's a terrible liar, but I'll let it slide. I have a feeling he's not really supposed to be telling me this, anyways.

"He ended up being reunited with his parents, so we decided to let him stay for a while even though the museum transfer wasn't official by any means. I told him that, but he didn't seem to understand. Ever since he got shipped back, he's been unresponsive. You're actually the first person he hasn't sicced his jackals on, except for me."

"Jackals?" I echo.

"You didn't see them? They're twenty foot tall stone statues. His guardians."

"Oh, those. Well, I almost got impaled, but then they froze. Why do you think that is?"

"Not a clue. He wants you to come back tomorrow night, though. Perhaps to teach you a lesson." he chuckles.

"I don't want to come back if he's going to be mean."

"Nah, he won't be. You're the first person he's interacted with in a positive way in quite a while."

"That's what you consider positive?"

He casts me a sidelong glance, "It's a good first step. What did you say to him, anyways?"

"Nothing that didn't make me sound like a blubbering idiot. I blinded him with your flashlight?"

"Well, that's bound to make a good first impression."

We step out into the warm summer air. Even in the wee hours of the morning, the air is slightly humid and warm. We make the walk back to the apartment in silence. Only in the elevator does he speak.

"Did you like it?" he asks.

"Yeah, I did. It was cool. I'm excited for tomorrow night."

"Me, too. I'm interested in what Ahk is going to do."

"Hm."

We enter the apartment, where Nick is laying on the couch, watching a crime show.

"How was it?" he asks, without looking up.

"Fun. I'm tired, though."

"Go to bed, then. We can talk tomorrow."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Larry and I make our way down the hall, he wishes me a goodnight before he steps into his room. I get ready for bed and crawl under the covers. As per usual, sleep doesn't come. Mom has always said I'm nocturnal, because my body refuses to sleep during the night. I had to take a heavy sleeping pill before bed each night, but I didn't bring any with me this trip. Crap. No matter how tired my body seems to be, I don't fall asleep until sunrise. Ever. I'm not even going to try.

I grab my phone from the nightstand. Might as well practice my Arabic. I've been learning to speak Arabic and read hieroglyphs, and I alternate every night. Tonight, it's Arabic. I have a little language app that teaches me things, and I'm already on the twenty sixth level of thirty. I would call myself fluent enough to converse with a commoner, but I want to be able to speak with an Egyptologist, and I want to be able to translate documents. Four more levels to go. I'm all right with hieroglyphs, but practice makes perfect. Maybe, if Ahkmenrah is in the mood tomorrow, he can teach me some more Arabic, too. I'll bet he will be surprised that I know it. Maybe I can redeem myself.

The hours fly by, I get to level twenty seven, and the city starts to come alive at six. Finally, I start to get tired. I shut my phone off and lean back against the pillows, allowing sleep to claim me.

 _ **hello! sorry it's been so long, I've been crazy busy. I'll try to update more**_ ** _frequently! so... what do we think of Ahk? he's kinda a jerk, huh? maybe he'll be better once he realizes how awesome Alex is. just saying. ;P also, thank you thank you to my newest friends, hayhay196, ChoKyumiCassie, SummerMistedDragon, bluekat1997, scowgirl2000, avatarange, Selene Isis Morgan, Transformers' BABY, Ben's Niece, GraceQuinn11, PhoenixTears589, and BeckyBoo12221! thank you so much for favoriting and following, your support means the world to me! please remember to review, favorite, and follow (and check out my other story "Rose as Red as Blood"!). see you next chapter lovelies XOXO_**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

I wake up at around noon, and spring to my feet. Four hours of sleep is good enough, right? I slowly crack open my door. Larry's door is shut, but I can hear Scooby Doo playing on the TV in the living room. I walk in and rub my eyes. Nick is sitting on the couch, also in his pajamas.

"Good morning." I mumble, crossing to the kitchen and searching through the pantry.

"I've been waiting for you to get up! We're going to explore Central Park today."

"Um, okay. Is Larry still asleep?"

"Yep. He doesn't usually wake up until like six o' clock at night."

"Right."

I pull out the box of Special K, and pour it into a bowl. I dump in some milk, grab a spoon, and plop next to him on the couch. We sit in silence for a moment. This episode is about the "curse of the mummy". How fitting.

"Could we leave in twenty minutes or so?" he asks.

"Sure thing."

He punches my shoulder before he stands, purposefully making me spill my spoonful of cereal onto my shirt.

"Asshole."

"Bitchface." he retorts, walking down the hallway with a smirk.

I roll my eyes and finish my cereal. I set the bowl and spoon in the sink and go into my room, pulling out a pair of black shorts and a Cold War Kids t-shirt. I walk into the bathroom, scooping my black hair into a high ponytail and changing my clothes. I throw on some light makeup before I tug on my black converse, grab my phone, and walk back into the living room. Nick is waiting, in jeans, a matching Cold War Kids t-shirt, and a beanie.

I narrow my eyes at him, "Change."

He frowns, "No, you change."

"I'm the guest."

"I live here."

"I look better in it."

"I - oh, fine."

A few minutes later, he reemerges from his room in a simple dark green shirt, casting me a playful glare. Sometimes, we're a little too similar to be considered normal. He opens the door for me and we exit, taking the elevator to the floor and walking out into the warm day. The city is bursting with people. I could sit for hours and just watch all the different people walk down the sidewalk. He leads me down the street for several blocks until we emerge across the street from Central Park. Nick and I pick a trail and set out, admiring the trees, flowers, and people.

"How did you like last night?" he asks.

"Fascinating! I want to find out how the tablet works."

"Believe me, I've already tried."

"But the difference between me and you is that I know how to read hieroglyphics."

"Touché."

We walk in silence until I work up the nerve to ask him the real question on my mind.

"What's up with Ahkmenrah?"

Nicky pauses, "Uh, I'm not really supposed to talk about that."

"Well now you have to tell me!"

"Do you promise not to tell Dad I told you?"

"I promise."

"Fine. So, a couple months ago, the museum exhibits started acting really weird, and Ahk's tablet began to corrode. Dad decided to take it to London, where Ahk's parents were, so they could explain what was wrong with it. We went, and we discovered that the tablet had been forged by the high priest of the royal family under the light of Khonsu, the moon god. Not even Ahk's dad knew everything the tablet could do, but he knew that it was starting to lose its power because it had been away from moonlight for too long. But then Lancelot-"

"Lancelot?" I interrupt.

"Yes, Lancelot. He was one of the exhibits that was at the British museum. He stole the tablet and we had to get it back in time because the exhibits were dying, and we almost didn't. But luckily Dad was able to get it back, and we fixed it, and they all lived happily ever after."

"So why is Ahk upset?"

"Dad told him that he could stay with his parents for the night, but that since the transfer wasn't official, Ahk would get sent back to New York. I don't think he understood what Dad was saying, because ever since he got back, he's been really depressed. He missed his parents a ton, and to get them back and only have them for one night before he was taken away from them probably sucked a lot."

"Yeah. I think it would, too."

We've stopped outside of a sandwich shop. We go inside, and Nick buys us both an authentic Reuben and some chips. We sit in the grass, and I take a bite.

"So? Your first New York City Reuben sandwich?"

"It's delicious."

"Thought so."

We finish the food and throw away the wrappers before we start to head back to the apartment. Nick turns down a different street, and I know right away we aren't going home.

"Where are we going?"

"The museum. I thought you'd like to see it in daylight."

"Sure."

We cross the street to the stately building, and step through the front doors. The museum is bustling with people, but not nearly as many as there are during the night hours. Rebecca is busy at the front desk, but she waves when she sees us. Nick taps out a quick text to Larry to let him know where we are, and then we set off through the museum. It's the strangest thing to see the same exhibits that come to life every night not move. The museum is set to close in an hour, and we spend that time exploring the expansive halls and rooms within the museum. Ahkmenrah's gate is still locked, and I don't want to bother him until tonight anyways. The monkey, Dexter, is hanging in some fake trees. It's obviously been stuffed, so how is it possible for it to come to life every night?

Our hour flies by before Rebecca announces over the speaker system that the museum will be closing, but reopening in a half hour for its night hours. Nick and I make our way back to the front desk just as Rebecca is locking the front doors. Larry walks in from the side hallway we entered from yesterday.

"How was your day?" he asks me.

"Fine. We walked around through Central Park for a while."

"Good."

Rebecca walks over to us, "All ready."

"I'm going to take Alex up to see Ahk. Can you open up on your own?"

Rebecca looks a little taken aback, but smiles and nods anyways, "Of course."

Larry smiles at her and beckons for me to follow him. He takes me up several steps of stairs and around some corners until that secluded hallway looms before us again. He stops outside the door.

"Wait here, okay?"

I nod. He unlocks the gate and steps inside. The sun sinks below the cityscape as a grating noise sounds from inside the exhibit. I hear a rattling, pained breath.

"Goodnight. How are you?" Larry asks.

I hear someone cough, "Is she here?"

There is a pause, Larry is confused, "Alex?"

"Yes."

"Do you… want to see her?"

"Yes."

"I'll be right back."

I hear his footsteps come out to the hallway.

"He wants to see you." Larry says quietly so the pharaoh won't hear.

"Okay?"

"I'll leave you guys alone. Don't talk about his… family… unless he brings it up, okay?"

"Sure thing."

I cautiously make my way into the exhibit. Ahkmenrah is sitting on the edge of his sarcophagus, staring at the floor. It's time to try out my skill.

 _"_ _Hello?"_

His head jerks up, _"You speak Arabic?"_

 _"_ _A fair amount, yes."_ I reply delicately. I have to be careful what I say to him. He's a king, after all.

His sad eyes light up with a spark of interest. His lips quirk up into a small smile, the nicest I've seen from him so far.

 _"_ _It is good to have someone that speaks my native tongue."_ he murmurs, rising to his feet.

 _"_ _Thank you."_ I reply.

"What would you like to know?" he asks, in English.

I seem to have implicitly gained his trust. It's amazing what language can do.

"Perhaps how you come to life every night?"

The pharaoh chuckles, "A puzzling question, I assure you."

He crosses to the golden tablet mounted on the wall above his sarcophagus. He gingerly picks it up.

"This is my tablet. It was forged by the high priest under the light of Khonsu, and possesses many powers."

It shimmers under the dull light of the exhibit. I can see a multitude of glyphs carved into its solid gold surface. Things about power, eternal life, and the moon. I slowly reach out my hand.

"May I?"

He warily hands the tablet over to me, a look of caution in his eyes. Doesn't he trust me? I grab onto it. My fingers seem to glue themselves to the tablet with an unexplainable current of energy. The glyphs on the tablet glow. An invisible breeze lifts the hair from the back of my neck. A zing of electricity jolts through me, leaving a warm feeling spreading through my veins. I feel very hot. My fingers are tingling. My knees begin to buckle beneath me, my head suddenly feeling very heavy. I can feel myself beginning to lose consciousness. The tablet's light is glowing very brightly, turning my vision gold. I feel as if I'm falling from a skyscraper. The last thing I feel are a strong pair of arms lowering me to the floor.

 _ **uh oh I wonder what happened? ;P just for future reference, when the two of them speak arabic it will be in italics (there will also be times where words are emphasized in italics (**_ i.e. What are _you_ doing here?) _**but I'm thinking that you guys are intuitive enough to tell the difference). hello and THANK YOU to my newest followers/favoriters (yes, that's a word. I just made it up) hannah2088, BrunoMars26 (thank you for following me as well you're the BEST ily), The Shadow Next To You, SchadenFreude95, Giraffadon, Shar82204, 98, Dinosaur Imperial Soldier (thank you for following me as well!), Artemis375, Carly noemy, blushing cinderella, DinoPower, sojun, ashleymariestel, Dark Angel 792, insanefangirlsunite, bookwriter123456, FluffyHanyoEars, MisaxRyu, Lunarose jodes, and theorignalsrizzlesouat1D! wow that's a lot of you. your support is positively overwhelming, thank you so**_ ** _much! please remember to review, favorite, and follow, and I'll see ya next chapter! (p.s. if you're looking for a finished story to read, check out "the First"! it's about Peter Pan and all sorts of magic and stuff, I just finished it and it was my first story ever and if you like NATM I think you'll like it! give it a read and let me know :) much love! 3_**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

"And she just dropped?"

"Yes. I don't know what could have caused it. But she's still breathing."

"What happened?"

"One minute she was reaching for the tablet, and the next, her eyes were glowing gold and she was falling to the floor."

I crack my eyes open with a soft moan. I feel like I'm about to throw up, and my headache is banging against my temples.

"Hey. Hey, Alex. Are you okay?"

Larry crouches down into my line of sight. Ahkmenrah stands a little further back, curiosity etched into his features.

"I'm okay. My head kind of hurts, though."

Larry brings the back of his hand to my forehead to check for fever.

"Do you remember what happened?"

"I just remember feeling really… hot. And tingly. Like I'd been struck by lightning."

"Ahk came and got me as soon as he could. Gave the visitors quite a shock. You've been out for almost the whole night. I was about to call the paramedics, but given the weird situation, I'm glad I didn't. Can you stand?"

"I think so."

Larry offers me a hand and gingerly pulls me to my feet. My head throbs. I lose my balance and stumble into Ahk, who catches me.

"Are you sure you're alright?" he asks.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little dizzy."

I move to pull away from him, but he doesn't let me go.

"You can let me go now."

"Oh. My apologies."

"It's okay."

I stand up straight. My headache hasn't gone away, but I can surely stand on my own. They're looking at me as if I'm about to explode.

"Seriously. I'm fine. I feel fine. I'm just a little tired."

Ahkmenrah tilts his head, "I have yet to discover the full powers of the tablet. You should not assume that you are fine."

"Well, has anything like this happened before?" Larry asks, worry lacing his tone.

"No. Not that I can recall." Ahk replies, sounding concerned.

I wander out into the hallway, my vision blurring and refocusing several times. I lean against the wall, vaguely listening to their conversation.

"I should just take her home. Will you be okay?" Larry asks.

"Will you be bringing her tomorrow?"

"If she'd like to come, then certainly."

"I should like to see the tablet's effects on her," he pauses, "y _ou will be here tomorrow?"_

I freeze, and tentatively respond, _"Are you speaking to me?"_

 _"Of course,"_ he replies, _"come back in."_

"Who are you talking-" Larry cuts himself off as I come into the room.

"You can speak Arabic?" he asks me, bewildered.

"Yeah? I thought you knew."

"No. No, I didn't."

I see another ghost of a smile on Ahk's face, _"I prefer to speak in my native tongue. Is this acceptable?"_

 _"Whatever would make you feel more comfortable."_ I reply.

Larry looks dumbstruck.

 _"_ _I apologize, but I am very tired. I must be leaving."_

 _"_ _No apology. Go home and rest, it is good for you. Please take care of yourself, I don't know the full abilities of the tablet."_

I smile at him, _"Thank you."_

He nods, and I turn and walk back into the hallway. I distantly hear Ahkmenrah tell Larry to keep an eye on me, and bring me here if anything happens. Almost as soon as I leave the room, a fresh wave of nausea crashes over my head. I place my hand on the wall in an attempt to steady myself, and only succeed in slightly cushioning my fall to the floor. I can't muster the energy to sit up.

"Alex?" I hear Larry's worried call.

I move my mouth to respond, but no sound comes out. I'm seeing stars. My vision is fuzzy, and everything has a soft tint of gold. I can see Larry's feet exit the exhibit, and run towards me. I can't move.

"Alex. Alex, can you hear me?"

I can't respond. The gold seeps further into my eyes, filling up the cracks of the floor and walls. I can see Ahkmenrah's sandals walk quickly to Larry. All I can see is their feet. I can still hear them clearly, but I can't seem to move. Everything is turning gold. I can't breathe.

"Larry. Her eyes."

Larry makes a small noise of worry, before placing a hand on my arm. He gets shocked by the static electricity, and yanks his arm away.

"She's burning up. Ahk, what do we do?"

"I-I don't know!"

He lets out a stream of curses in Arabic so Larry doesn't hear.

 _"_ _If you can hear me, you need to do something. Please. Anything."_

I can hear you! I just can't move! He reaches out to touch me. His fingertips are like a light switch. My vision blinks out, and my lungs take a deep, shuddering breath.

"Alex? Oh my God please don't die."

I would have laughed at Larry's hysteria if I could move my mouth. I can't open my eyes, but at least I can breathe again. I can feel arms pulling on my body. It's Ahkmenrah, I think. He has pulled me into his lap, laying my head on his shoulder. I can't seem to catch my breath. I can feel cool fingertips gently smoothing my hair away from my face.

"She's okay." Ahk murmurs.

"She doesn't look okay." Larry says, sounding almost on the verge of shouting.

My eyes snap open, darting around for a moment before finding Ahkmenrah's face. His brows are creased in worry.

 _"_ _Hello there. Are you alright?"_

 _"_ _I think so."_ I breathe.

"What's she saying?" Larry asks.

"She's fine. She's okay." Ahk replies softly, not looking away from my face.

It's a little easier to breathe now. I have regained enough movement to fist his cloak in my trembling palm.

 _"_ _Can you stand?"_ he asks.

 _"No. Not yet, please."_

 _"_ _Take your time. How do you feel?"_

 _"_ _Sick. Dizzy. Tired."_

 _"_ _Do you know what happened?"_

 _"No. I just got very lightheaded."_

 _"_ _Hm. May I carry you?"_

 _"Oh, that's really not-"_

He rolls his eyes and rises, taking me with him as if I were no heavier than a feather. He carries me into the exhibit, sitting down on the edge of the sarcophagus.

"Close the gate, please, Larry."

"Ahk, we need to do something. The museum is already closed and the sun will be coming up in a few minutes."

"That is not my concern as of now." Ahk says fiercely, as if daring Larry to say otherwise.

I can feel my eyelids drooping. I'm awfully tired. I let them slide closed.

"Alex? Are you okay?" Larry asks.

"Yeah. Just tired."

"There's no way you're just tired! Your eyes-"

"Larry! She needs to rest. Just let her sleep." Ahk cuts in with surprising dominance.

Larry's features harden. I can tell that the kind-hearted pharaoh doesn't usually snap at him like that.

"What am I supposed to do? Leave her here so you can decompose underneath her?"

Ahk pauses. I can feel the anger in his voice when he replies to Larry, "I am more than a decomposing corpse, Larry. I can handle this myself. Please, take Nick home and leave her with me."

"But, Ahk-"

"No. Leave."

I'm too tired to protest. Is he going to turn back into a mummy? What will I do then? I have only regained movement in my face, and the very tips of my fingertips and toes.

"Don't tell me what I will or will not do regarding my own family." Larry growls. He pauses before continuing, tempting Ahk to interject.

"I'm going to take her home, she needs to sleep in her own bed. I'll bring her back tomorrow if anything else happens, okay? Please."

The pharaoh heaves a sigh, "Fine. But I am not responsible for any harm that comes to her while not under my care. Are we clear?"

"Crystal." Larry replies icily.

I can feel his presence over me. I force my eyes open again. He looks down at me with a grim smile.

"Hey. Can you stand?"

I can at least walk home, can't I? I don't see why not. I slowly roll my ankles and wrists, starting to get feeling back into my joints. I nod at him, and Ahk helps me to my feet. I hold onto the edge of his sarcophagus for a moment to steady myself, before I step forward. Larry holds his arm around my waist to help me walk.

"Good morning, Ahk." Larry says, attempting to be nice despite the moment of tension they shared a few moments ago.

"Good morning." the pharaoh tersely replies.

I want to say thank you to him, but I don't think Larry will let me. And I'm tired enough as it is. We make it to the exit doors, where Nick is talking with Rebecca. Sunlight is streaming through the windows, bathing the room in a yellow glow. They both stop when they see me, and Nick runs over to us.

"Hey! Ahk emerged from his cave for the first time in months to get Larry. We were really worried because he wouldn't let anyone else come with him. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

Rebecca's brow furrows, "What happened?"

"Not sure. Something did. She's coming back tomorrow so Ahk can fix it."

"Sorry to interrupt," Teddy calls from his pedestal, "but it's well past sunrise, and I'm still awake."

 _ **hey**_ ** _hey! sorry it's been a while, finals are next week and I've been trying to split my time between the four stories I'm writing right now haha. anyway, thank you SO MUCH to The-Right-Girl, Signerz (thx for following me as well bae), Black Eclipsed Soul, Weirdchick27, Ikariworshipper98 (also you're the best for favoriting me ;P), Redflowerxoxo, writingNOOB, Erudessa-gabrielle (ty for favoriting me you're awesome), FantasyMind231, angelic13demon, Irrelevant86, Sam0728, thenarnianwitch, KlarolineforeverX (GIRL SAME KLAROLINE = OTP), and athleanaprime21 for following/favoriting! also, shout out to the awesome people that have been leaving reviews on this story, reading them literally makes me smile so hard I was sitting in English a few days ago and I got one and I started smiling and my friend was like what are you reading and I was like oh nothing.. SERIOUSLY I love you guys so much you make me love what I do! also, you all should get on inkitt .com and like "the First" in the fan fiction contest, I just created an account on the website and if you like to read, this website is the place for you! it would mean so much if you could get on the site and give my story a like. anyways, thanks for reading, and I'll see you next chapter! wonder what's happening to Alex... ;P_**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Larry pauses uncertainly in his explanation, before turning his attention to Theodore Roosevelt. The president is making his way over to us on his horse. Rebecca and Larry exchange concerned glances.

"You're still awake?" Nick asks, more rhetorically than anything.

"It would appear so." Teddy responds.

Soon, the exhibits begin to file back in to the main hall, some wearing expressions of confusion. Others marvel at the sunrise just starting to stain the sky, something I imagine not a lot of them have seen before. Sacagawea join us by the main doors, gazing out at the dark blue sky, faintly lit by the golden sun beneath.

"Why are we still awake?" she asks.

"We're asking the same question." Larry replies.

"Can I go get some air?"

Larry turns to me, "Are you feeling okay?"

"A little dizzy. I think the breeze would feel good."

"Nick, go with her, please." Larry says.

"Sure."

Nick smiles at me, and we walk out the front doors into the brisk morning air. No sooner has the chilly air filled up my lungs, the air is knocked out of me. I gasp for breath, collapsing to my knees as the gold seeps into my eyes again.

"Holy crap. Alex? Alex!"

I can feel Nick attempt to put his hand on my arm, but he jerks it back. Shaking off the electricity from his fingertips, he rushes inside to get help. I'm alone, laying paralyzed outside of the front doors of the Natural History Museum. Not something I ever thought I would do. I'm finding it rather hard to breathe, choking on nothing. Moments later, Larry and Rebecca come outside with Nick.

"Get her back inside!" Larry commands.

Nick scoops me up in his arms, ignoring the electricity. Rebecca holds the door open, and Nick carries me through the doors. As soon as we enter, air blows back into me. The gold trickles away, and I can feel tingling sensations starting in my fingertips and toes. Nick sets me down on Rexy's pedestal as Wea rushes forward.

"Why did that happen?" she asks, more frantic than I've ever heard her.

"I don't know!" Larry replies, again sounding as if he's on the verge of tears.

"How is it that she can affect us?"

"It's the tablet. We need Ahk. Nick, go get-"

"I'm already here."

The pharaoh's calm, commanding voice rings throughout the main hall. I have no idea what's going on. Affecting them? How?

"Ahk, it happened again and I don't know what's going on-"

"Larry. My guess is as good as yours. Please, remain calm."

"This is my niece! I'm in charge of her and it's my job to make sure she stays safe and unharmed! Does she look unharmed to you?"

"No, I will admit that she doesn't. But I do have an idea."

Ahk steps forward, picking me up and carrying me towards his exhibit. Larry trails behind, likely not letting anyone else near me. He can be awfully protective sometimes. The pharaoh strides down several hallways. I can hear his heartbeat in my ear, beating rather quickly, but it's still calming. Ahk sets me down on his sarcophagus, allowing my head to rest on his shoulder.

 _"_ _Are you feeling better?"_ he asks.

It takes a second for my brain to wake up far enough to transition into Arabic.

" _A little. Do you know what she meant by my affecting them?"_

 _"_ _When you left the museum, we all went back to sleep. As soon as you came back in, everyone woke up again. I do believe the tablet has inexplicably tied itself to you."_

 _"_ _But I don't want it to be tied to me! How do we stop it?"_

 _"_ _I do not know."_

"Hello? What are you saying?" Larry says, trying hard not to be mean.

"Just trying to figure this out." Ahk replies cooly.

"Could you figure it out in English?" Larry shoots back.

"Sorry." I mumble.

"I'm not upset with you, Alex." Larry says, giving Ahk a pointed look.

"How is this my fault?" the pharaoh asks, raising an eyebrow.

"You tell me. You're the one that knows the most about the tablet!"

"I don't know all of it. If anyone, the person who would know the most would be my-"

Ahk cuts himself off with a pained expression.

"Father." Larry finishes apprehensively.

Didn't Larry say something about how Ahkmenrah's parents are in the British museum?

"Yes. He knows the most." Ahk looks like he's in physical pain.

"Well then. Why don't we go back to the British museum?"

"Larry, you don't know what you're saying."

"Oh, I assure you, I do. If flying back to London is going to help Alex, then I'll do it. And you'll come with us."

"Is it even safe for me to fly?"

"It will be fine."

Even Larry doesn't look very sure about his response, but he continues anyways, "We'll pack you in the sarcophagus, and Alex and I will fly."

"But, Larry. There was such trouble last time with the museum transfer-" Ahk protests.

"If we make you leave at dawn, we won't even have to worry about staying into the next full day. Your father will be able to figure out what's wrong with the tablet, and then we can fix Alex, and leave."

Ahk still looks unconvinced.

"He doesn't have to." I mumble.

"Nonsense. Of course he does. His tablet did this to you, we need to figure it out."

"If that's what you want, then I suppose I can't object, can I?" Ahkmenrah asks sarcastically, glaring at Larry.

"I'm going to buy three plane tickets when I get home, one for Nick too. Don't bring anyone. This is a quick trip, in and out. We're not even going to worry about getting permission from McPhee. Not that he would give it. But that's not important. Alex, we need to go home."

"Do you really think it's a good idea for her to go home?"

"I…" Larry pauses.

"Please, leave her with me. She will be safer here."

Larry stares at Ahk for a moment, visibly weighing the options in his head.

"Oh, fine. I'll be coming back in a few hours. I'm going to try and get us tickets for today, so we can be to the museum by tonight. The flight is about seven hours, so we'll be there by this evening."

"How will you be able to get us tickets that fast?"

"I know some people. It'll be fine. Try and get some sleep, okay? You can sleep on the plane, too, but I know you don't like to do that."

I manage a weak smile up at him. He returns it with one of his own. My uncle bends down and kisses my forehead.

"Be safe."

"I will." I reply.

"The museum will be closed for a few extra hours this morning anyways, it's a Sunday. We can get out quick without drawing too much attention. Ahk, please don't tell anyone about this. Nick and I will get ready, and pick you two up in a few hours. I'll make Rebecca stay here with you guys for today until I come, in case you…"

He trails off. He's referring to my fainting spells. It would be nice to have Rebecca here anyways, just in case.

"We'll be fine, Larry. Go."

Larry gives us one last concerned look, and strides out of the exhibit. Ahkmenrah is still cradling me against his chest, but I'm feeling a lot better. I know he prefers Arabic, so I resolve to speak his language.

 _"_ _Can we go look at the sunrise? They always make me feel better."_

 _"_ _You're awake at that time?"_ he asks quizzically.

 _"_ _I don't really sleep at night. I like to watch the sunrise in the morning. I fall asleep to the sunlight."_

He chuckles, " _No harm there, I suppose. I can guarantee you've seen more sunrises than I have."_

I smile, and he picks me up again. He makes it seem like carrying another body is rather easy. He exits the exhibit. Instead of turning down the hall, however, he retreats further back into the secluded hallway. There is a door at the end. I hadn't bothered to read the sign before now, but it is clearly marked "ROOF". Ahk opens the door and carries me up the stairs, pushing open another door and walking us out into the dim sunlight. The view from up here is incredible, the sky is brightening into shades of purple, orange, and pink, and the sun is peeking through the leaves of the trees in Central Park.

I feel the tugging of my breath leaving my lungs, and I clutch his robes as I prepare for the choking sensation, but it doesn't come. It seems whatever it is that is affecting me has begun to normalize. He freezes until I nod my head that I'm alright. His face melts into a look of relief.

 _"_ _I knew it."_ he breathes.

 _"_ _Knew what?"_

 _"_ _The tablet and you… You've somehow gained its powers. I can walk in the sunlight with you."_

I pause as his words sink in. The tablet, which only brought them to life at night, has suddenly been shifted into overdrive. It works during daylight, too, and all because of me.

 _"_ _Does that mean that the exhibits inside have fallen back asleep?"_

 _"_ _Yes, but only temporarily, until we go back inside."_

We lapse into silence. He has sat down on top of an electrical box, and set me down next to him. I can sit on my own, but his hand is still on my thigh. I try to subtly get his hand off of me, but he notices.

 _"_ _Please, I have to be in contact with you for this to work."_

 _"_ _Oh. I thought…"_

 _"_ _I assure you, Alexandria, I am a perfect gentlemen. Nothing to worry about."_

I can feel a blush creep up my cheeks. Of course he isn't interested in me. Duh. Now that he mentions it, I can feel a dull electric current tingling where his fingers are. I'm keeping him alive right now? What a scary thought. A brisk morning breeze blows over us, chilling me. I slide a little closer to him. His fingertips trail up my leg and around my waist, pulling me closer to keep the cold air away. His touch sends electric currents through my veins. A yawn escapes my mouth before I can swallow it. Ahk notices, and chuckles.

 _"_ _The sun is making you tired?"_

 _"_ _It always does. Those warm rays are hard to resist."_

 _"_ _You can sleep if you'd like. Larry spoke as if you don't like to sleep on airplanes?"_

 _"_ _No, I don't. Maybe I should fall asleep…"_

Just as I begin to get comfortable against him, though, the door bangs open behind us. We turn around to find Rebecca. She blushes, mistakenly thinking that we were having a "moment", but she quickly remembers her original purpose.

"Everyone in the museum just went back to sleep where they were standing. Ahk, I don't know what the tablet is doing, but-"

"Relax, Rebecca. It's controlled by Alexandria. We can come back inside, if you'd like."

She blinks, "Well, I, uh, yes. Yes, I would like that, please. Wea and I were in the middle of a very interesting conversation about Westward Expansion."

"How exciting." Ahk says drily, with a small smirk.

Rebecca realizes how nerdy that sentence was, and flashes a sheepish grin. His hand slips back to my arm. I can pinpoint exactly where his touch is, it leaves a burning sensation across my skin. Not a bad feeling, but a strange one.

"Can you walk back inside?"

"I think so."

We stand, him taking my hand and helping me back inside. I feel like an old woman. Not like arthritis, but very, very tired. But at the same time, I feel more alive than I've ever been. This is weird. I can only hope that Ahk's parents can shed some light on the situation. Our trio crosses back through the roof door, a tingling sensation spreading over my skin as the museum awakens around us. Ahk lets go of my hand, as being back inside the museum seems to extend my powers throughout the building. It's nerve-wracking to think that I'm the one controlling the lives of these people. If we can break this bond between the tablet and me, I'll do it, no matter the cost. Rebecca has continued on down the hallway, but Ahk has stopped by his exhibit.

 _"_ _I'd like you to see something. Come inside?"_

 _"_ _Lead the way."_

I follow him inside of his exhibit, where the two jackal guards bow at our entrance. He leads me to the back of the exhibit, where the tablet has been hung back on its place above Ahk's sarcophagus. He gently lifts it from its frame, gazing down at its shimmering gold surface.

 _"_ _Can you read the glyphs along the top, here?"_

I peer over his shoulder, quickly analyzing the golden drawings.

 _"_ _It says that when reunited with life blood, power will be restored. What does that mean?"_

 _"_ _To be truthful, I haven't the slightest idea. I think it has to do with you. I think my parents will know what it means."_

My eyes roam the tiles of the tablet, each one designed to bestow a gift upon Ahkmenrah. Strength, courage, kindness, integrity, patience, confidence, compassion, and happiness. The one in the middle seems to be the most important, it stands for eternal life. The engravings around the edges of the tablet say something about using the power of the mind to make the tablet do your bidding. It says that if one has good intentions, anything is possible. I look back up at him to find him gazing down at the tablet.

 _"_ _This tablet was crafted by the High Priest of Egypt under the light of Khonsu, the moon god. The tablet is merely a vessel for his power. Did you know that the priest gave his life for this tablet? His powers were affected by the tablet, which was powered by moonlight. I think that his powers have been transferred to you."_

 _"_ _Why would it be doing that? Why me?"_

 _"_ _I don't know. I wish I did. This tablet has surprised me over and over again. As soon as I think I have it figured out, it throws another mystery into my face. An everlasting enigma."_

I hum my agreement. We sit for a moment, gazing at it.

 _"_ _This tablet. This has been my heartbeat for thousands upon thousands of years. When I died, this tablet sparked to life so quickly I barely had time to be dead. To enjoy my new peaceful existence. But by then, I had been buried in my tomb. As a result, it brought me to life, as it was designed to do, at each moonrise, and killed me at the first touch of morning. But there was nothing to live for. Nothing inside that dark sarcophagus."_

He looks up at me, an unexpected look of pain filling his darkening eyes. His voice comes out as barely over a whisper.

 _"_ _Do you have any idea what it feels like to have your organs fail every sunrise? To die over and over again? To have the only way of telling time be when you wake up and when you die? Soon, it's impossible to keep time. The weeks stretch into months, and then the months stretch into years, and the years stretch into centuries. Because you're wrapped in bandages, stuffed in a sarcophagus, and buried beneath the Earth's surface. No one knew I was alive. No one knew that I could still breath, walk, talk. But all I ever breathed, over those thousands of years, was my own rotting stench. I couldn't walk. The only person I had to talk to was myself. And the walls would close in on me every morning as I felt the wind escaping my lungs, and the stab wounds in my chest would burn but I had no blood left to bleed. Because I was dead. Do you have any idea what that feels like? To have your life controlled by a hunk of metal?"_

He is practically glowing with the amount of passion radiating from him. His knuckles have turned white from clutching his tablet. His eyes have darkened almost to black, and his chest is rising and falling so quickly I'm having a hard time keeping up. I almost reach out to touch him, but he looks too upset. I don't want to hurt him even more. Ahk gazes scornfully down at the tablet in his hands, something that he so highly regarded only a few minutes ago. A sick feeling pits in my stomach. After all, am I not the same thing? If I leave him, I'll kill him. The weight on my shoulders grows substantially heavier. The lives of the exhibits in this museum are dependent on me. I'm the one now causing the pharaoh's pain. Ahk has as much reason to hate me as he does the tablet. No. I don't want that. We need to get to Ahk's parents soon, so they can undo this mess.

 _"_ _Ahk, I, I'm sorry."_

I tentatively reach out and touch his arm. My touch seems to bring him back to his senses. He blinks, his eyes returning to their normal chocolate brown color, and he releases the tight grip he has on the tablet.

 _"_ _Alexandria, I apologize. You didn't need to see that."_

 _"_ _It's alright. Now I understand. I understand why you hate that thing. I understand why you hate-"_

I cut myself off. I can't bring myself to say it.

 _"_ _Hate what?"_ he asks, inquisitive eyes searching mine.

Me.

 _ **hi! I'm back! tbh I loved writing Ahk's part I like getting to see another part of his story. trust me, there will be plenty of Ahk's back story to go around in later chapters. anyways, hello and THANK YOU to The Time Vulcan, , RorschachinBlueJeans, jess114, To the Redwoods, Stroylover, ElithaAndWest, mushastar128, MakaylaDevine (THANK YOU for favoriting me!), La Clair, angel'slittledemon, and KateVeen. YOU ALL ARE THE BEST and I love you all so much! seriously you all are killing me with your overwhelming support, and I absolutely loved reading your reviews oh my**_ ** _gosh those never fail to make me smile. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please don't hesitate to review and tell me if you like it! thanks for reading, please remember to review, favorite, and follow! much love to you all :)_**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Larry arrives in the Egyptian pharaoh's exhibit, looking as stressed as ever.

"Was everything alright while I was gone?"

"Perfectly fine, thanks." I reply, smiling as reassuringly as I can. He shouldn't worry about me so much.

"Larry, if I am able to, could I fly with you and Alexandria?"

"You are, Ahk. You'll be in your sarcophagus in the baggage portion of the plane."

"No, I meant with you. In the seats. I've never flown on an airplane before."

Larry stares at him, "Ahk. You can't leave the museum without dying, remember?"

"On the contrary," Ahk grins at him, "as long as Alexandria is in contact with me in some way, I can."

Larry tilts his head, "I don't know… I don't want to risk it."

"Please. If anything happens to her while on the flight, I can help."

That convinces Larry.

"Oh, fine. Our flight isn't very packed, I'm sure I can get another ticket. Are you sure?"  
Larry looks at me for approval, and I nod. The thought of having to kill him again is too much for me to handle at the moment. If he flies with us, I won't have to. I'll just have to make sure to hold his hand. Not that I have a problem with that. Wait. What?

"You'll need some normal clothes, though." Larry comments, taking in Ahk's royal garb.

"Maybe some of Nick's stuff? I know he's not as tall as Ahk is…"

"That actually might work. Nick buys his pants larger so they sag a little." Larry says with a rueful grin.

Ahk tilts his head, "Why on Earth would he do that?"  
I stifle a giggle, "No reason, Ahk."

I keep forgetting that he's not quite in touch with twenty first century trends. Larry leads us to the loading dock, where he has parked his car. He threw all of our suitcases into the trunk, not knowing how much we would need, and tugs Nick's suitcase from the back. Ahk and I are careful to stay inside the museum.

"What are you doing?" Nick asks from inside the car.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it."

"But Dad, that's my-"

Larry closes the trunk, and poor Nicky doesn't get to finish his sentence.

"Alex, pick something out that looks normal?"

Larry hands me the suitcase, and I salute at him. I roll the suitcase a little ways inside of the loading dock, and open it. Inside are Nick's soft graphic t-shirts that I love to sleep in, some sweaters, and his jeans. Thank goodness Larry thought to bring an extra pair of shoes. I pull out the black Vans, some khaki jeans, and a soft looking gray t-shirt with a faded image of an electric guitar on the front. I pull out a black beanie for good measure, and hand him some socks and boxers.

"Go put all of this on, okay? You can bring it back if it doesn't fit."

The Egyptian looks very skeptical of the clothing, but takes it without protest and disappears into a storage closet. I slip the tablet into Nicky's suitcase, wrapping it in clothes. It looks like it could be a toy, or maybe a cosplay sort of thing. We can get it through security. I think. I turn around to find Larry staring at me.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Honestly, not sure. But with Ahk there, it'll be much better. He'll be able to help out if… something happens."

"Right."

I hear the door open and shut behind me. I turn around. Ahk is walking hesitantly towards me, tugging down the hem of the shirt as far as it will go. The jeans fit well, slung low on his hips. The sleeves of the t-shirt hug his bulging biceps. He is carrying the beanie in his hand.

"I wasn't sure how to put this on…" he trail off with a sheepish grin.

It takes me a second to regain my ability to speak, "Wow, I, uh, okay."

What is wrong with me? I take the hat from his grip and reach up, pulling it over his head and adjusting it in the back to make it look as hipster as possible. The dark locks of his hair peek out from beneath the hat perfectly. His eyes hold me in place for a moment. Suddenly, I'm all too aware of the closeness of our bodies. His lips curve up into a small smirk that makes my stomach flutter. Larry clears his throat. I blink, and snap my hands back down from around his neck. I cough.

"Um, sorry. There you go. It looks great."

Larry seems to know exactly what just happened, that smirk is stretching wider.

"Come on, you two. We have to go."

"I, uh, right. Right."

My brain is scattered. I can't even form a coherent sentence! Get a hold of yourself, Monroe! I zip up Nick's suitcase and hand it back to Larry. He loads it into the back of the car.

"You two can have the back seat."

The way he says it makes it sound way more suggestive than he probably intended. Then again, the look on his face says he knows exactly what that was. Ahk slips his hand into mine, lacing our fingers together. Butterflies flit through my stomach again. Stop! He's only holding your hand so he doesn't die. Get a grip.

We walk to the door of the car, which he opens for me. I slide in. We don't let go of each others hands, which is proving to be a difficult task. I don't bother buckling in, and I doubt Ahk even knows what a seatbelt is, so we don't worry about it. Larry starts the car and drives away. It's only then that I notice Nick is staring at Ahk with a mildly annoyed look on his face. He's probably just mad that Ahk looks hotter in his clothes than he does. Oh. My God. What is wrong with me?

"Are those…" Nick is eyeing his t-shirt on Ahk's body.

"Yes, Nick, I'm sorry. Just until we get back home."

"I, uh, yeah sure. It's fine."

He looks a little less than convinced, but Ahk's voice is so sincere that he can't bring himself to be upset. He twists back around in his seat, gazing through the windshield. Larry speeds through the city, twisting through streets and getting us to La Guardia in record time. I'm kind of nervous to be flying, but it seems that my body has been chilling itself out. Hopefully, no fainting spells while we're thousands of feet in the air. The thought makes my stomach curl. I subconsciously tighten my grip on Ahk's hand, and he looks down at me.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes. I'm fine."

He makes a soft sound of acknowledgement, and his thumb begins to rub circles on the back of my hand. Oh, why does he have to do that? I'm getting butterflies again. Why am I worrying so much? An Egyptian pharaoh would have no interest in me. None at all. So there's nothing to worry about. Larry parks the car and we all get out, again making sure to maintain contact through our hands. Ahk doesn't have a suitcase, so he insists on rolling mine so I don't have to worry about any luggage. As soon as we walk through the doors, we're getting stares. Mostly from women. So it isn't just me that thinks Ahkmenrah is attractive. Yes, fine, I admit it. He's kinda hot.

Larry makes a big show at the check-in desk of needing another ticket for the flight because my "boyfriend" needs to come with us on the trip to visit my dying grandmother in London. It's a bit of a stretch, even for Larry, but Ahk's innocent smile and Larry's story convince her to let us buy another ticket and rearrange out seats without pressing for too much personal information from Ahk. Our crew makes our way to security. I'm worried about Ahk and myself. We can manage to be normal for the seven hour flight, can't we? We get to security, and the guard checks through the tickets and I.D.s of the passengers in front of us. Larry turns around with a worried glance.

"Ahk doesn't have an I.D."

"What is that?" the Egyptian asks, confusion furrowing his features.

"Something that proves you aren't a terrorist." Nick says, his voice has a slight edge. He's still pissed about the clothes thing.

Ahk pulls me a little closer to him, bending his head down to whisper in my ear. I can feel his warm breath tickle my cheek, and I momentarily forget to listen to what he's actually saying.

"You can convince this man that I am allowed to get on the airplane without an I.D."

"What?"

"If you truly do hold the tablet's powers now, all you have to do is look into his eyes and tell him what he will do, and he'll do it. The tablet can control other peoples' minds, if your intentions are noble. I think that this is a worthy cause."

"I happen to agree with you," Larry interjects, "can we get a move on? We're holding up the line, and our flight leaves soon."

"Right. Sorry."

Nicky and Larry make it past the guard with no problem. Ahk goes next, bringing me with him and handing the guard our tickets.

"London, huh?" he says, a kind smile greeting us.

"Yes, sir." I reply, unsure of how to make this work. Do I just tell him that he doesn't need to see Ahk's I.D.? What if this doesn't work? Will we be detained?

"I.D.s, please."

I hand mine to him, and he looks over it before handing it back to me and stamping my ticket.

"And you?" he asks Ahk.

I step forward as Ahk gives my hand a reassuring squeeze. The guard locks eyes with me, and I take my chance.

"Oh, it's alright. You don't need to see his I.D."

The man's eyes glaze over slightly, and he tilts his head.

"I don't?"

"No, you don't. If you could stamp his ticket, that would be wonderful."

"Sure thing." he replies dreamily, stamping Ahk's ticket and handing it to us slowly. He doesn't look away from my eyes.

"Have a great day." I say to him, smiling.

"Enjoy your flight." he responds.

As soon as I look away, he snaps back to his normal self.

"Ticket?" he asks the woman behind us.

A sick feeling worms its way through my stomach. I suddenly get hit with a feeling of nausea, and I clutch Ahk's hand tightly as the golden tinge begins to seep into my vision. I'm having trouble breathing.

"Alexandria?" Ahk asks, turning to me.

I look over at him, and he realizes what is happening. He hurriedly makes me walk over to a nearby bench, and sits me down. I'm grabbing his hand, hard. That choking feeling is like when you have to throw up, but there is nothing there, and you just gag over and over again. I still can't breathe.

"You have to listen to me. You're fine. You were just using your powers, and your body hasn't gotten used to it yet. You're okay. You're okay."

He wraps his other arm across the front of my body in a tight hug, and strokes my hair. I slam my eyes shut as the nausea begins to get the best of me. I black out for a second, but quickly regain consciousness.

 _"_ _You must remain strong."_ he whispers in my ear.

The Arabic is like a song, lilting and decadent. I can't see much past the gold in my eyes. Even when I close them, I can't get away from it. Stop. Stop. Stop! Suddenly, it blinks out, and I inhale a huge gulp of air. I'm panting for breath as Nick comes walking quickly over to us.

"Alex, are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

I don't feel fine, but I'm not about to tell him that. Ahk continues to pet my hair and gently rock us back and forth. A TSA agent comes over to us.

"Is everything all right here?"

"Yeah, fine. She's just afraid of flying." Nicky lies smoothly, and the lady makes an understanding face before walking away. Nick reaches out to touch me, and is instantly zapped by the electric currents that haven't yet subsided.

"Holy shit. Are you sure you're okay?"

I'm starting to feel better. It was just a quick relapse. If I don't use the powers again, I'll be fine. I'll be fine. Keeping Ahkmenrah alive for this long is surely hurting my body. There's no way I'm telling him that, though. I don't want to make him feel bad. Ahk lets me out of his hug, squeezing my hand again in his. I can't help but notice he wasn't shocked by my skin.

"Are you alright? Can you stand?"

"Yes."

I slowly get to my feet, trembling and dizzy. I shake my head to get it to go away, and wipe my sweaty palm on my jeans. I'm fine. That wasn't as bad that time. I was able to control it. Nick shoots me a worried glance before proceeding to the line. Larry has already gotten through and is waiting on the other side. He looks positively terrified that he can't come back over here to help. I shoot him a shaky smile, and he returns it. He's glad I'm okay. Luckily, we got in to the TSA first class line, which means we don't have to take our shoes off. That would have been a hassle considering I only have one hand to use. We set my suitcase down on the conveyor belt. I'm not wearing any jewelry, and neither is Ahk. We get to the scanner. Oh God. I'm going to have to let go of his hand. There's no way they'll let us through otherwise.

"Ahk. I have to let go."

He stops in his tracks, "You _what_?"

"We have to go through the scanner one at a time. Those are the rules."

He sets his jaw, "I can do it. As long as it's not more than a minute, I can do it."

"Are you sure?"

"I am."

I immediately regret this. I don't want to have to hurt him.

"I'll go first." he says, smiling reassuringly at me.

"Right this way, sweetie."

The same TSA agent that checked on me a few minutes ago is running the body scanner.

"You'll have to let go of your boyfriend's hand for just a second, hon. Then you can have him back."

The fact that she called Ahkmenrah my boyfriend is the least of my problems right now. I squeeze his hand and let go. A brief flash of gold illuminates my eyes before I force it away. No. Not now. He steps inside the machine and slowly raises his arms above his head. I can see his skin starting to fade from that deep tan color to a pale, dead pallor. The machine finishes with a ding, announcing his safety, and he steps out of it as slowly as an old man. He coughs, gripping the side of the conveyor belt to steady himself. He's trying to mask the pain as best he can. My stomach feels sick remembering the way he described his recurring death. The burning scars, the failing organs…

I step into the machine as fast as I can. I put my hands above my head and breathe a sigh to calm my rapidly pounding heart. It whirs around me, seemingly in slow motion. Can't it go any faster? I hear another sick cough from Ahk. Finally, it dings. I rush out of the scanner and place my hand on his arm. A zing of electricity jolts through us, and life floods back into his body. He straightens, wiping the cold sweat from his brow, and catches his breath. His shaking fingers slide into mine. I squeeze his hand.

"It's okay. I'm here."

"I know." he says thickly.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Please tell me we don't have to do that again any time soon."

"Only on the flight back."

He looks pained. He doesn't say anything as he grabs my suitcase from the conveyor belt and we make our way to Nick and Larry.

"Are you two okay?" Larry asks.

"Just fine." I reply.

Ahk looks a little far away, his eyes glassy and his skin dry and scaly. He catches me looking at him and gives me a weak smile. I return it. We follow Larry and Nick through the airport to our gate. By the time we are boarding, Ahk appears to have returned to a relatively normal state. I'm mulling over today's events in my mind as we board the plane. My body only betrays me when I use the powers. Whether it be to keep Ahk alive, or manipulate innocent people. Guilt gnaws at my insides. I controlled that guard's mind. I seized control of his will and snapped it in half. That poor man. And he went right back to his job afterwards. So it's okay! Despite trying to reassure myself, the guilt doesn't go away. I want to get rid of this before it can get worse. I hope Ahk's parents can fix me.

Ahk leads me to our seats, closer to the back of the plane. We are sitting together, Larry and Nicky are sitting closer to the front. We may get first class boarding, but I doubt that Larry wanted to blow money on four first class tickets. Understandable, I suppose. Ahk lets me sit by the window, and he sits down next to me. We help each other buckle our seat belts, and exchange hand holding for my linking my arm through his. The flight really is quite empty. The plane is normally sized, but is only about half way full. Ahkmenrah's leg is bouncing beneath mine like a nervous tick.

"Are you okay?" I ask.

"I'll be alright. I'm just nervous about flying, I've never done it before."

"I am, too. It'll be alright, though."

"Mm."

He falls silent, his leg continuing to bounce up and down. Larry stands and turns to look back at us. He flashes the thumbs-up sign with a questioning expression. I return the sign and smile at him as sweetly as I can. He's such a worrier. Granted, this is a little scary, but Larry always worries about things. He smiles back and sits down again. The flight attendants begin the safety demonstration. Ahk looks as confused as ever, I realize how much I have taken flying on an airplane for granted.

"Do I need to worry about any of that?" he asks, puzzled.

"No, don't worry. Just stay buckled."

"Alright."

No sooner have the flight attendants taken their seats, the plan begins to move. Ahk's hand slides back into mine, his palm is beginning to sweat. He's nervous. I softly squeeze his hand. The plane begins to pick up speed, coasting down the runway. When it lifts off, Ahk involuntarily tightens his grip on my hand. This is actually quite adorable. He's never flown on an airplane before! He leans over me to stare out the window, watching the ground get smaller and smaller beneath us.

"We're awfully high up." he mumbles.

"Not to worry. They wouldn't let us fly if there was a concern for our safety."

That seems to comfort him. I may be nervous, but I can't let him see that. I need to make him feel better. He settles back into his seat, and I do the same. I suddenly realize how tired I am. I haven't slept in ages. But I just can't sleep on planes. The thought of dropping your guard thousands of feet in the air and surrounded by strangers is an idea that terrifies me. Ahk seems to read my mind. He has figured out how to recline the seats, and makes a big show of leaning back and snapping up again a few times over. I giggle.

"You're going to break it."

"They wouldn't let us do it if there was a concern for our safety." he retorts, spitting my words back at me with a playful grin.

I jokingly glare at him before reclining my chair back as well. Now, we have a little bed in the privacy of our row. There are no passengers around us for a few rows in all directions. The flight attendant walks by then, with the drink cart. She sees us lying down, and chuckles.

"Would you like a blanket?"

"Oh, no thank you." I say, at the exact same time as Ahk says, "Yes, please."

She laughs again and reaches under the cart to withdraw a fuzzy blue fleece blanket, more than big enough for the two of us.

"Here you are."

"Thank you." Ahk replies.

She smiles and continues on her way. My eyes are starting to droop. I haven't slept for almost a full day. Ahk spreads the blanket over the two of us, graciously cushioning my body from the armrest. I lean against his shoulder as his crackling touch trails over my shoulders. His arm rest over my shoulders, his fingers drawing small, electrifying circles into my arm. The sensation is never going to be something I get used to, it sends excited pulses through my lower belly every time. I soon relax against him, his warm touch lulling me to sleep.

 _"_ _Sleep now. Many sleepless nights await."_

 ** _siiiiiiilent nighttttttt, hooooooooly nighttttttt, allllll is calmmmmm, alllll is brighttt. okay, I'll shut up. anyway, merry christmas (or whatever holiday you do/don't celebrate!) here's your late christmas present, an extra long chapter because I love you all tons and bunches! hello and thank you to daii16, Nyxis, Thebestdisneydescendant, Miss Scarlet Darkness, MoonlightShadow94 (thank you for following me as well!), phantomshadow99, Lizi Rose, n-i-g-h-t-s-n-o-w-s-t-o-r-m, ArtemisLuna85 (thank you for following me!), Dina Eragon Black, xTinyGhoulx, shannonb58, bluefox93, and stefi4eva (thanks for following me too!). also, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to those of you that have reviewed and/or PM'd me with your thoughts/reviews! omg you have no idea how much I love reading reviews honestly they must be my life source or something. I love reviews. I also love talking with you guys, so hit me up ;P anyways, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! remember to review, favorite, and follow!_**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

 _"_ _Awaken, Alexandria. We have arrived."_

I let out a groggy moan, almost pulling away from Ahkmenrah. His fingers wrap around my wrist before I can pull away too far, sending a zing through my system and turning the world gold for a moment.

 _"_ _Careful."_

I'm still clearing my head, _"Sorry."_

I crack my eyes open, gazing blearily at him. His smile is awfully endearing.

 _"_ _You slept very well. Do you feel rested?"_

 _"_ _Yes, I do. Thank you."_

His electrifying hand slides down my torso to rest on my waist as I remove a hair tie from around my wrist and brush my dark hair back into a ponytail. The seatbelt sign dings off. The passengers stand and grab their luggage. Ahk and I unbuckle. I climb to my feet, Ahk grabs my suitcase from the overhead bin, and we walk hand in hand down the aisle of the plane. Larry and Nicky are waiting for us by the exit. We walk into Heathrow Airport just as the sun is setting. I've never been to London before, but I never thought it would be for such an unconventional situation.

"The sun is setting, so we need to get to the museum now. I hope no one minds that we don't have a hotel. We have a flight at eight thirty tomorrow morning. Alex, I told your mom you weren't feeling well, so don't worry about calling her for the next few days."

Well, that's not entirely a lie. I'm glad I slept on the plane. I hope Ahk got some sleep, too. Larry ushers us out of the airport, where one of those minivan taxis is awaiting us. We load our luggage in the back. Now I'm realizing why he packed all of that for us. He wanted us to look normal, if that's even possible. We climb in.

"Where to?" the taxi driver asks.

I don't even have time or energy to be a tourist and get excited about the fact that the driver is sitting on the other side of the car.

"The British Museum, please." Larry says tersely.

He opens up his wallet, where he has stacks of British currency inside. I don't remember him exchanging dollar bills. Luckily, the museum isn't too far away. Ahk's hand has been nonchalantly stroking mine, not that I'm complaining, but it's constantly reminding me about the life I'm supplying him. My skin is crawling with fear. If I let go, he dies. Just like at the airport back in New York. I keep thinking about his moment of vulnerability in the museum. The way his eyes burned with anger and pain, and how my stomach sank when I realized that it was me that he hated. Even if he didn't mean it that way, he'll make the connection eventually.

 _"_ _What are you thinking about?"_ the pharaoh's voice murmurs in my ear.

 _"_ _Nothing important."_ I manage a smile up at him.

He seems to know I'm not telling the truth, but he decides to let it go. The cab driver pulls in to the museum and Larry pays him. We all get out of the minivan and grab our luggage. Larry leads us around to the back of the museum.

"Does Tilly still work here?" Nick asks.

"Yeah, she does. I called ahead."

"Is she that delightful woman that fraternized with that cave man?" Ahk asks cheerfully, a smile spreading over his features.

I can see Larry cringe, "Yep. That's the one."

"Do I want to know?" I lean over to Nick.

He smirks at me, "No, you don't."

"Thought so."

We walk up to the wrought iron gate and accompanying guard office. Larry taps on the glass. For a moment, there is nothing. Suddenly, a blonde head pops in to view, wiping chocolate from her mouth. This woman is rather curvy. Her eyes light up when she sees who it is. She pushes a button, and the gate buzzes as the electric lock clicks. We walk inside with our luggage, and the gate closes. The woman comes out of the booth.

"Larry! Nick! Ack! Girl! So nice to see you all!"

I can't help but giggle at the way she pronounces Ahk's name, but her British accent does muddle some of her words. She pulls everyone into a hug.

"How've you guys been? I haven't seen you in _ages_."

"Oh, yeah. It's been a while. Sorry to rush things, but we only have tonight and I don't know how long this will take." Larry says politely.

She nods energetically, "Sure thing."

She disappears into the booth.

"So, that's Tilly?"

"Yep," Larry says with an exasperated sigh, "that's Tilly."

Tilly withdraws a key ring, walking us to a side door on the British Museum's version of a loading dock. She unlocks the door. Ahk suddenly grips my arm as we walk inside. I realize why as the gold flashes across my vision, and I fall into him.

"Woah, is she okay?"

"Yes," I hear Larry say, "she'll be fine in a moment."

Sure enough, I manage to push the gold tinge out of my eyes, and I can breathe more evenly. Ahk slowly sets me back up on my feet, letting go of me. Now that we're in the museum, it's safe for us to let go.

 _"_ _Are you alright?"_

 _"_ _Yes."_

"The museum is awake, now." Ahk says.

Larry flashes me a grim smile, and rubs my arm. The slight tinge of static electricity doesn't deter him enough to let go of his niece. Nick unzips his suitcase and takes out the tablet. For once, it doesn't look as bright and magical as it did when I first saw it. Probably because it's not magical anymore. We follow Tilly into the museum's main hall, where the exhibits are beginning to move around. It's been a few months since they've last been awake, I think. Tilly leads us through the museum, ignoring the exhibits that are just waking up as if she's done this before. She probably has.

"Larry!" a man's joyous voice calls.

Our group turns to find a knight making his way toward us. His hair is shoulder-length and dirty blonde, and he has blue eyes that sparkle as brightly as his head-to-toe armor.

"Very good to see you my friends! It's been too long."

He pulls Larry, Nick, Tilly, and Ahk into a hug, and then he notices me. His entire demeanor changes, and I get hit with what I can only describe as "the smolder" straight out of Tangled. He releases them from his grasp, capturing my right hand and bringing it to his lips.

"I, my fair lady, am Lancelot, a knight of King Arthur's round table. What might your name be?"

"Um, I'm Alex."

He straightens, "Well, Lady Alex. It is truly a pleasure to meet you."

This guy is adorable. The utter quintessence of a chivalrous knight.

Ahk clears his throat, "We should probably get going."

"Where are you going?" Lancelot asks.

"Just a visit to Egypt," Larry says quickly, sensing Ahkmenrah's hostility, "let's get moving."

"Well, I shall join you! I could use a good quest, such as accompanying fair Lady Alex to Egypt."

Ahk's eyes spark with annoyance. Is he jealous? What would he have to be jealous of? Lancelot offers me his arm, and I take it. He smiles at me, all charm, and begins to lead me down the hall. Our group makes its way through the museum until we turn a corner into a room full of hieroglyphics. They crawl along the walls and pillars of the room, saying things about the all powerful royal family, the light of Khonsu, and eternal wealth. There are two sarcophaguses in the middle of the room, which have been opened and emptied. There is no one here.

"Hello?" Larry calls.

There is some shuffling from the back of the exhibit, and soon enough a pharaoh and queen step into view. As soon as they see Ahk, their faces light up in identical grins.

"Ahkmen!" the queen exclaims, pulling him in to a hug and kissing his forehead.

The pharaoh stands to the side, observing his wife's affections for a moment, before turning to us.

"Guardian of Brooklyn! Very good to see you. Who might this be?" he asks, evaluating me.

"This is my niece, Alex."

His wife joins us then, wrapping an arm around her husband and flashing me a kind smile.

"I am Merenkahre, pharaoh of the Nile and father to the son of the sun."

"And I am Shepseheret, the glittering jewel of the nine kingdoms."

That sounded like a very well-rehearsed introduction. Very impressive.

"What _are_ you wearing?" Shepseheret asks, narrowing her eyes at Nick's clothes on Ahk.

"Just something to help me blend in. They're actually quite comfortable." Ahk flashes a sheepish smile at his mother.

She returns it with an exasperated sigh, "Can you please change back into your robes? To make your mother happy?"

Ahk playfully sighs, "Yes, Mother."

He makes his way back into the exhibit, probably to find clothes among the artifacts. I have to admit, I'm going to be sad to not see him in a beanie anymore. He looked adorable.

"What brings you back, Guardian of Brooklyn?" Merenkahre asks, clapping Larry on the shoulder.

Nick hands Merenkahre the tablet, and his eyes narrow.

"It has lost its power. How are we awake?"

"That's the thing. It seems that Alexandria has inherited the tablet's abilities."

"She has… what?"

"She touched the tablet, and something happened. We don't know."

The pharaoh slides his gaze over to me, "And now you are the one keeping us alive?"

"Uh, it seems so, Pharaoh."

He halt-heartedly chuckles at my attempt at formalities, but suddenly his expression sobers.

"What is it?" Larry asks.

Merenkahre turns to me, "Do you know the story of the Tablet of Ahkmenrah?"

"No, Pharaoh, I don't."

The older man smiles at me, a bit of nostalgia in his gaze, "Ahkmenrah was born at midnight. I was pharaoh, and I had seen wonders most men only dream of. But when I first gazed upon my son, he was instantly more precious to me than all the wonders of the ancient world. I knew I could never bear to say goodbye. I commanded the High Priest to create a gift for him using all we had learned of the mysteries of the afterlife. Forged in the temple of Khonsu, god of the moon and watcher over nighttime travelers, the Tablet of Ahkmenrah was created. Ahkmen's tomb was designed to channel Khonsu's rays down to the tablet, rejuvenating its powers every night. The moon god bestowed his power upon the tablet, so that as long as it bathed in his light, our family could be together forever, and not even death could part us. The priest gave his life for our family, for Ahkmenrah, so that he could reign forever over our land."

"Father, where is the point in this?" Ahk asks, striding around the corner. He is back in his royal attire: gold sandals, white skirt, golden robe, and many, many beads and gems around his neck. He has chosen not to wear that large crown, which I don't blame him for. It looked heavy. The perk to these clothes is his abs are exposed again. I have to tear my eyes away before anyone catches me staring. Ahk is even more fit than Nick is, and that's saying something. Shepseheret places a hand on Ahk's arm, and smiles at her husband to continue. Ahk almost imperceptibly rolls his eyes, but says nothing.

"So, the priest died?" I ask.

"He used his life blood to give it power. He was the tablet before he died, he possessed all of the powers the tablet displays today. He died for the tablet, and transferred all of his magic into the tablet so Ahkmen could always have it. And now, it has been given to you."

"But… why?"

Merenkahre turns around, striding towards a small pedestal in the corner of the room. I can only assume it was made to hold the tablet. The whole group follows him, crowding around the pedestal. It has a small inscription written on the base.

"A great prophecy delivered by the High Priest himself the day your tablet was created, my son."

He traces a weathered finger over the glyphs, reading them aloud, "When reunited with life blood, power will be restored."

That is the same saying inscribed on top of Ahk's tablet. Merenkahre turns to me, and for the first time, his smile is genuine.

"Egyptologists have, for thousands of years, been baffled by this prophecy. But… I believe it is you. When the tablet is reunited with the blood that gave it life, the power that is rightfully yours will be restored to you. I believe you may be a descendant of the priest, finally come to restore power to himself."

Woah. Woah woah woah woah woah. Hold. The. Phone. What the hell? I'm a descendant of the High Priest?

"But, I don't want that power."

Ahk suddenly looks like he wants to disappear. Merenkahre blinks, "You what?"

"I'm sorry. It's nothing personal. I just don't think I can handle that."

He scoffs, "Nonsense. It wouldn't have been given to you if you couldn't."

"How am I supposed to know that? This could just be an accident. There's no way that I could be descended from an Egyptian priest."

"There is most certainly a way. Besides, there is no stopping this."

"What do you mean? You're the pharaoh. You can give the power back to the tablet."

"The prophecy will not allow that. You are a descendant of the priest. The prophecy states that you will be given his power. There is no way out of a prophecy. This is a great blessing, I don't see how you could be so upset."

I'm starting to get distressed. I don't want this. Why is this happening to me? I just wanted to learn more about a pharaoh, and this man is telling me that suddenly I'm the solution to one of Egypt's greatest mysteries? No. No way. I can feel panic rising in my throat. The hieroglyphs are suddenly jumping off of the walls in perfect clarity. Eternal. Eternal. This is forever. This is going to be my life. I'm going to be held responsible for keeping Ahkmenrah and his family alive and together for the rest of my life. I can't handle that. I don't want to handle that! A hand on my arm distracts me from my terrifying thought process. It's Ahk.

"Would you like to go get some air?"

"I can't. Everyone will go back to sleep."

I don't want to have to kill Merenkahre and his wife, too. I feel miserable. I'm destined to kill everyone, no matter what I do.

"An open window will do just as well. Let's go."

Over half of the room's occupants look as if they want to object, but no one says a word as Ahkmenrah steers me out of the room with a hand on my lower back. We walk down a hallway in silence, me suppressing my tears as well as I can, until he makes it to a smaller, secluded window. He slides it open and a warm breeze blows onto my face, calming me.

"I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry?" Ahk asks.

"I shouldn't have touched your tablet. This never would have happened."

He chuckles, placing a hand on my knee, "You cannot reverse a prophecy, Alexandria, especially one delivered by the High Priest himself. This was inevitable. If not you, your child, or your grandchildren."

"But I can't do this. I don't want-"

I cut myself off. I don't want to tell him about the thought that has been plaguing me this past day, that I am the one that he hates. I am the one responsible for his death every day.

"You don't want what?" he asks.

"Nothing. It's nothing."

"Alex. Please tell me. There's no use keeping secrets. I learned that _many_ years ago."

I heave a sigh, "I don't want you to hate me."

He tilts his head, "And why do you think I hate you?"

"Because the tablet killed you every night and caused you so much pain, and now that it's me, you hate me too."

His smile is tender and warm, "I could never hate you."

"Do you mean that?"

Ahk's eyes are melting me from the inside out, "I really do. I know that the powers have caused me pain, but you… It is not possible for me to hate you."

Before I can stop myself I'm burying myself into his chest, holding on to him as tightly as I can. The tears flow freely and I can't stop them. Ahk's strong arms encircle me immediately. We fit together perfectly, and his warmth surrounding me makes me feel safe.

"I'm scared." I mumble into his chest.

Ahk pulls away from me, using his thumb to wipe the tears from my cheeks.

"I know. But you will be fine. You must embrace this power. If you use it well, you can use it for good. This is a good thing. Try to think of it that way."

He stands, pulling me up with him, and slips his hand in to mine. His large hand engulfs my smaller one, but I couldn't care less. Having him here is a great comfort. Maybe I can do this. We walk back through the museum in silence. I gather my strength for what is to come. Maybe Ahk is right. Maybe this power could be a good thing. Having magic at my fingertips doesn't sound too bad to me. We enter Egypt again, and everyone immediately takes note of our hands. I lead us up to the king and queen.

"I'm ready."

 ** _hey there lovely people! sorry I'm a few days late, but happy new year! I hope that 2016 brings tons of new adventures, in my stories and in my life, but more importantly, my stories definitely the stories. anyways, hola and thank you to Apsalar, sansalayne, Las Nekos del Ying-Yang, TheAlleyCat18, 0lovely blossom0, SamuraiNinjaDragon, milano641 (thank you for favoriting/following me!), sourskittles6887, TheWriter'sMistress (p.s. your name is BOMB), ninjagirlA20, Bumblebee1013, High Gaurdian, beautiful-tragics, Cupuffle, WhitePhoenix357, RedApple15, harlotravern (thanks for following me!), and Anvelite! and to all of those who left reviews: virtual cupcakes headed your way. we have chocolate, vanilla, and red velvet, so take your pick ;P SERIOUSLY you guys are amazing your support is positively overwhelming! thanks for being awesome. it makes writing this story one thousand times better, no joke. anyways, thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed. if you did, please don't hesitate to leave a review! and remember to favorite and follow if you haven't done so already. much love! see ya next chapter :)_**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Merenkahre looks firm, "You must understand, Alexandria, that there is no getting rid of the power. It is yours now, and will be yours for the rest of your life. Understood?"

"Yes."

"Good. We are going to teach you to use the power, and how to control its effects on your mortal body. Your body is still getting used to the magic in your veins. Once you learn to harness it, you won't have the troubling effects I'm sure you've been having."

I nod my head in relief. At least that weird gold vision and awful light-headedness is only temporary.

"The tablet has nine individual double sided panels. They could be placed in different combinations, meaning that there were over three hundred thousand things that the tablet could do. Not even I know all of the spells. It could be something as simple as helping a flower bloom, to something as complex as taking someone's life without lifting a finger."

That's a scary thought.

"Your mind has become a sort of index. You can pick which spell you want to use just by thinking about it. But, all spells, especially more complex spells, will have their ramifications. Ramifications on your physical state, or the natural balance of the Earth. You should never attempt to bring something back from the dead that wasn't already tied to the tablet, such as Ahkmenrah, my queen, or myself. Everything in this museum is an inanimate object or material. The three of us are the only human beings, and the only human beings that the tablet can affect without potentially harming you. Of course, the more you use the spells, the higher your body's tolerance for magic will be."

He pauses for a moment to allow that to sink in. All of the nerves I was feeling before come rushing back. What if I can't do this? Almost as if sensing my fear, Ahk's hand gently squeezes mine. I can do this. I can do this. Merenkahre turns to the group behind us. Larry, Nick, Tilly, and Lancelot are all regarding me with varying levels of concern.

"This requires focus. If you could leave us, it would be much appreciated."

The men of the group look as if they would much prefer to stay, but Tilly is too afraid of the pharaoh to object. She ushers them from the room, leaving me alone with Ahkmenrah and his parents.

"We'll start with something easy, then."

Merenkahre leads me to a small display along the wall, a bar of sand. Various Egyptian pots and small figurines are nestled within. Ahkmenrah hasn't let go of my hand, his fingers tracing their usual pattern onto the back of my hand. It feels nice.

"You can make the sand move, if you concentrate hard enough. Just take it slow, don't push yourself too hard. We can't have you getting hurt too soon."

Ahkmenrah's arm comes around my waist, and the other holds my hand a little more tightly. He's bracing me against him, in case I faint again. What am I about to get myself in to?

"Just think about it." Merenkahre encourages.

So I think about it. I stare hard at the little grains of sand in the bar. I think about making them move. I squeeze a little harder on Ahk's hand. Nothing happens.

I heave a sigh and break my focus, "Nothing is happening."

"You shouldn't think about doing it, think about it happening." Shepseheret murmurs.

She's been so quiet, I had almost forgotten she was here. Alright. It's worth a shot. I refocus on the sand, imagining them blowing in a nonexistent breeze. I allow my eyes to roam over each grain, admiring the tiny dunes and wishing I could make them change. Suddenly, one of the tiny slopes topples. Ahk's grip tightens on my hand. He saw it too.

 _"_ _Keep going."_

His voice distracts me, briefly sending a flurry of butterflies through my stomach. I push his dizzying influence out of my head and refocus my attention. I reach out a hand, willing the sand to follow my fingers. I sweep them up the side of a dune, taking the sand with me. It sweeps up into the air and falls back down the other side with a soft swish. I hear Merenkahre's delighted chuckle. I sweep more sand into the air, twisting it in pretty patterns weaving a few feet above the bar. Okay. I can do more than that. I concentrate a little harder, picking up more sand and weaving it into the existing cloud. I move it up over our heads, fanning it out over the exhibit in pretty curls and spirals. Ahk is getting excited, I can feel him pull me a little closer against him. But my concentration is broken by him once more, and the sand falls all over the floor and sarcophaguses. Oops.

 _"_ _You can put it back."_ Ahk whispers in my ear.

I'm starting to feel a little out of breath. Merenkahre urged me not to push myself… But there's no harm in putting it back. I can't leave such a mess. There is sand all over the floor, as if a sand storm blew through the exhibit and left no nook or cranny unfilled. So, I concentrate once more, drawing strength from Ahkmenrah's arms around me. Slowly but surely, the sand lifts itself from the floor and rises back into the air. In one powerful gust, the sand blows over our heads and settles back into the bar in its small dunes.

Before I have time to be proud of myself, the sand turns gold in my eyes, and my knees buckle beneath me. I feel as if I've just run a marathon, my lungs are bursting. Ahk lowers himself to the floor with me. I squeeze my eyes shut to force the gold away. I can feel myself shaking. Ahk just rocks me back and forth until I open my eyes again. The gold has disappeared, and now I just feel tired. Of course Merenkahre was right. I pushed myself too hard.

"That was incredible. Very promising so far." Merenkahre says, satisfied.

" _Are you alright?_ " Ahk asks.

" _I feel very shaky. Can we sit for a while?"_

 _"_ _Of course."_

 _"_ _You can speak Arabic?"_ Merenkahre asks, surprised.

I nod my head, _"I want to be an Egyptologist."_

He smiles at me, " _You could have saved me a lot of stumbling through my English._ "

I manage a breathy laugh.

" _Do you think you can manage something else?_ "

" _If it doesn't require too much energy._ " I smile at him.

The pharaoh has forgotten all formalities, treating me as one of his own already. I want to think it's because he likes that I can speak his language, but the distrustful part of me is convinced it's probably because I could be a rather powerful weapon. But, I don't want to believe that.

" _It shouldn't,"_ Merenkahre hasn't stopped smiling, _"do you think that you can summon Larry back to us?_ "

 _"_ _How am I supposed to do that?"_

 _"_ _Reach out to him. He'll hear you. Why don't you start with Ahkmen?"_

How am I even supposed to do this? Do I just say something in my head? I think about what Shepseheret said, about imagining it happening. I reach out to Ahk with a tentative **Hello?**

I feel him shift beneath me, _"Hello to you, too."_

 **It worked? Oh my God. I'm literally in your head right now.**

He chuckles, _"If only I could speak to you in your head as well. We could carry a whole-"_

 **Conversation.**

On just a whim, I was able to get him inside of my head, too.

 **Woah. Am I…** I can still hear his voice, even though he's not speaking out loud.

 **Inside of my head? Yes.** I pull away from him and smile, and he returns it with a bewildered one. This doesn't take any energy at all. I could do this all the time.

 _"_ _Okay, what are you talking about? I feel left out."_ Merenkahre is grinning at me.

This man is not nearly as imposing as I thought he was when I met him. He's really just a father. Who also happens to wear a crown.

 _"_ _Nothing."_ Ahk says with an innocent smile.

I keep my connection with him open, but I reach out to Larry. I don't know where he is, but I can suddenly feel my connection to him like a small electric pulse.

 **Hey, Larry. You can come back now.**

I open up the connection both ways like I did with Ahk, but I'm not sure that Larry will know how to respond. Sure enough, my head remains quiet.

 _"_ _No response. But he should be here."_

Suddenly, Larry's voice bursts into my mind with a surprising force. I wince at the loud noise. **Alex? Alex, please tell me you can hear me.**

 **I can hear you, Larry. What's wrong? Are you okay?**

Ahkmenrah's fingers tighten around mine, noticing my worried expression.

 **I don't know. Something happened. Something really bad. Hurry.**

I shakily get to my feet. Ahk follows, his expression becoming more and more concerned.

 **We're on the way.**

I start to tug Ahkmenrah out of Egypt, down the hallway. I can feel Larry's presence ahead of me, I instinctively know where to go. Merenkahre and Shepseheret are following us.

 _"_ _Alex, what's wrong?"_ Ahk asks, falling into step beside me.

 _"_ _It's Larry. He said they're in trouble."_

Ahk says nothing, only tightening his grip on my hand and walking with me down several more hallways. Larry's presence intensifies ahead of me. I walk as fast as I can without running, I don't think that I could handle that yet. I'm so focused on finding Larry that I don't notice Ahk telling me to stop until he has to pull me back himself. It's then that I hear a voice. A man's voice. One that I don't recognize. Ahkmenrah and his parents, however, seem to know exactly who it is.

" _Who is that?"_

 _"_ _That is my brother,"_ Ahk murmurs, his eyes hardening, _"Kahmunrah."_

 _"_ _Who's Kahmunrah?"_

Judging from the expressions on the royal family's faces, he's not a good person.

 _"_ _He's a very evil man,"_ Shepseheret begins, looking shaken, _"certainly not my son. I don't know how he has come back."_

 _"_ _Come back from what?"_

 _"_ _The dead."_ Merenkahre responds.

 _"_ _But if he's a member of the royal family, shouldn't he have been bound to the power?"_

 _"_ _Not death. The underworld. Several months ago, Kahmunrah attempted to unleash an army of Horus warriors on Washington D.C. using the tablet's help. Your uncle was able to stop him in time, and he was banished to the Egyptian underworld."_

 _"_ _Duat?"_ I ask tentatively.

Merenkahre pauses, smiling at me, _"I keep forgetting that you already know much about our culture. Yes, he was banished to Duat. No one is ever brought back without the assistance of Osiris, and I have no idea how he managed to get it."_

That does seem to be a little odd. Osiris is the god of death, more specifically Duat, and he has always been portrayed as a very cold, short-tempered deity. But the way Shepseheret is clinging to her husband tells me that Kahmunrah is no saint either. He must have done something awful to cause such a loving mother to disown her son. Ahk looks like he wants to punch a hole in the wall. He has let go of my hand, his fingers clenching into fists so tight his knuckles are white. His chest is rising and falling rather quickly.

 _"_ _Larry is in trouble. I need to go in there."_

 _"_ _You are still weak. You cannot do anything substantial yet. Don't doubt your uncle's ability to maintain calm."_

 _"_ _Why don't we listen for a while, and see what we're dealing with."_ Shepseheret murmurs, her grip on her husband anything but loose.

This man has seriously affected this family. Especially Ahkmenrah. He isn't looking at anyone, and he isn't speaking. I have a feeling that what Kahmunrah did is more closely related to Ahk than anyone else. I finally glance up at the sign to see where we are. It's the "Hall of the Afterlife". How fitting. A little plaque specifies that this exhibit explains how different cultures dealt with death. We all step closer to the corner of the wall, hearing Kahmunrah's voice echo around the corner in a confident, cocky tone. He seems to have a lisp, greatly diminishing his credibility. His English is rather fluent, like the rest of his family's.

"-miss me, Larry? You know, I had a lot of time to think, down there in the underworld. A rather dreary place. Lots of time alone. But when word got around to me that the tablet had lost its power, well, I just had to come back and see for myself."

"It hasn't lost its power," Larry's voice radiates poise and confidence, "it has been transferred to another vessel."

"Oh? What. A cat, perhaps? Maybe a vase?"

"No. My niece."

Kahmunrah pauses, "Oh. _Oh_. That's a juicy little tidbit. It looks like the prophecy has been fulfilled at last! That's wonderful news. You know, it was so hard to take the tablet last time. Maybe this girl will be a little easier to handle."

I grit my teeth. I'll show him "easy to handle".

"If you so much as lay one of your dead fingers on her, I'll break your face." Nick growls.

"Oh, will you, now? I'm shaking in my golden sandals."

I glance over at Ahk. His face is pale, and he looks more furious than I've ever seen him. He still hasn't spoken, and I don't want to interrupt him. His jaw is clenched. He's scary when he's mad.

"Now, I've had a marvelous time watching you both try to be threatening, but I must go look for my new tablet."

I can't take it anymore. I step out from behind the wall as defiantly as I can. I hear Merenkahre's hiss of protest, but I'm not just going to stand here. That's certainly not my style.

"I'm right here."

The man in front of me is certainly in his late thirties, maybe early forties. He is dressed similarly to Merenkahre and Ahkmenrah, in a golden crown, and a blue wrap with the golden wings of a scarab beetle on his chest. True to his word, his sandals are golden. He narrows his eyes at me, giving me a once over.

"This is the newest power? _You_?"

I fold my arms over my chest, glaring at him, " _I hear that I'm very important to you. I wouldn't recommend insulting your plaything."_

He chuckles, _"And she speaks our tongue. Impressive. But, dearest, you are not a plaything. You are a weapon. Although, I can imagine all of the ways I could play with you."_

Ew. Kahmunrah's eyes flicker to something behind me. His eyes widen for a moment, the only sign of fear he's shown so far, before he returns to his nonchalant state.

 _"_ _Brother."_

I turn to find Ahkmenrah directly behind me. He is livid.

 _"_ _Don't you dare speak to her like that."_ he growls, looking utterly terrifying.

 _"_ _And what are you going to do about it?"_ Kahmunrah replies, smirking at Ahk.

As if to prove his point, Kahmunrah closes the distance between us. He raises a hand, pressing a fingertip to my temple. I flinch, but don't pull away from him. That would show weakness. He slowly traces his fingers down my cheek, my neck, and over the delicate skin of my collarbone. His touch is as cold as death itself. Ahk makes a strangled noise from behind me, but doesn't do anything. Just as quickly, he raises his hand back to my neck, and squeezes. His strength is blinding. I'm quickly gasping for breath. His lips curve into a disgusting smile as he chokes me.

I don't even have time to raise my hands and push him off of me before Nick is on him with a punch so hard Kahmunrah falls to the floor. Kahmunrah's eyes ignite with fury as he picks himself up off of the floor and pulls out his khopesh. It's a terrifying two foot long blade, slightly hooked to inflict as much damage as possible. It could easily slice flesh, and slice flesh he does. Kahmunrah lunges forward and whips the blade over Nick's side with a sickening _swish_. The blade cuts through his hip and is pulled out forward through the side of this stomach. Nick doesn't even have time to cry out before he crumples to the floor, his blood already creating a massive puddle on the tiles.

A shocked scream flies from my mouth, and with it comes a surprising burst of crackling electricity. Kahmunrah is hit with the blast, and thrown across the room into the stone of a wall. I rush over to Nick and kneel beside him on the floor. He's already almost gone. Oh my God oh my God oh my God. Now I can see why Ahkmenrah hates this man so much. I hate him too. I tug Nick's head into my lap, trying as hard as I can not to look at the gaping gash in his stomach as I pull his shirt away from the blood. It gets all over my hands and clothing, but I don't care. He killed Nick. He _killed_ Nick. Larry rushes over, attempting to staunch the blood in any way he can, but there's too much. We're both crying.

"Oh my God. Nick. Nick, I'm so sorry. I love you, okay? I love you. I'm so sorry."

It happened so fast it doesn't even seem real. I feel like I'm in a nightmare. My fingers are shaking so hard I can't even hold his hand. I can see the ghost of a smile on his lips before his eyes focus on the ceiling, and his light blinks out. My uncle shakily reaches forward and closes Nick's eyes. Awful sobs that I have never felt before wrack my chest. I'm crying so hard it hurts, but Larry almost has me beaten.

Wait.

I can bring him back.

Merenkahre said I could. Who gives a shit if I mess with the "natural balance of the Earth". Those consequences are insignificant compared to the loss of my best friend. Soon enough, my sobs turn to deep breaths as I place my hand on his chest. I don't know what I'm doing, but my body seems to have natural instincts. My right hand is over his heart, and my left is over his forehead.

 _"_ _I give life to you. I give life to you. I give life to you."_

I hear a protest from Merenkahre behind me, but I tune him out. I tune the world out. He said that this would take energy. My body feels alive with electricity, I can feel it running down my arms and into my fingertips. Into Nick.

 _"_ _I give life to you. I give life to you. I give life to you."_

Larry jerks away from Nick as the electricity becomes too much for him to handle. The gold is flowing into my eyes, but somehow I can see through it this time. I am dimly aware of Merenkahre yelling at everyone to leave the room, something about how it is too dangerous. I can barely hear him over the hum in my ears. I don't care. Nick's body beneath me is my only focus.

 _"_ _I give life to you. I give life to you. I give life to you."_

Seconds blur into minutes. I don't know how much time has passed, but suddenly, the electricity within me blinks out. Nick's eyes snap open with a pained gasp. The wound in his side is gone, save for a thin white scar about a foot long wrapping from his hip to the middle of his stomach. His eyes dart around for a moment before they land on mine.

"Did I just… _die_?"

I can't answer him before the gold overtakes me, and my world goes dark.

 _ **hey there beautiful humans! alex is pretty powerful now, huh? what's kahmunrah doing back? what consequences will alex have to face? dum dum dummmmmmmm... anyway, hello and thank you to all of the people that favorited and followed. I feel awful that I can't thank you personally, but when I was writing out your names and then deleting the email, my internet crashed and I lost the progress. and unfortunately now all of the mail I have from fanfiction is jumbled together, and it would be a huge hassle to try and find it all**_ ** _again! please don't hate me, just know that I love you all tons and bunches and I am beyond grateful for all of the support you guys have given me! if you enjoyed this chapter, please review, favorite, and follow! see ya next time ;)_**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

 _hello! before we begin, I just want to let you know that this chapter is rated "M" for mature content. this chapter depicts a death via the slitting of one's wrists, not in a suicidal sense, but you will be experiencing death from the first person point of view. I censored it as best I could, and it's not too gory or depressing, I don't think. anyways, please read at your own discretion! enjoy :)_

Slowly, slowly, slowly, I open my eyes. Just doing that takes energy. So, I close them again before I can see anything. My whole body hurts. I feel so insanely tired, my head is pounding, and my legs feel numb. I feel as if all of the energy has been drained from my body. I roll over.

 _"_ _Awaken, Alexandria."_

A deep voice booms through my ears, reverberating through my chest. I force my eyes open again, and see nothing. There is no change. I blink a few times, and again, there is no difference. I have to lift a hand to touch my eyes to determine if they're truly open. They are. And yet, I can't see anything.

 _"_ _You have made a mistake. A very grave mistake. One with dire consequences. You have taken a life from me."_

I open my mouth to respond, but no sound comes out. The dark voice continues speaking.

 _"_ _You must pay for your crime. A life for a life. That seems fair, doesn't it?"_

The Arabic rolls off of this tongue with supreme ease. I can feel ancient magic humming around me.

 _"_ _You have taken a life from me. I now demand yours. You must make your sacrifice by the next dark moon, or I will reclaim the life you took from me, and more."_

Say what now? My _life_? This thing wants me to kill myself? That's insane.

"Alex? Alex. Hey. Are you okay?"

A different voice this time. Ahk?

"Alex. Alex, look at me."

All of a sudden, I can see again. I blink a few times, dazed, to find myself sitting up on a chaise. I blink a few more times. Slowly turning my head, I find Ahk's worried face mere inches from my own. When our eyes finally lock, he smiles.

"There you are. Are you alright?"

I move my mouth to respond, but the inside of my mouth is as dry as a desert. I doubt that my brain is functioning smoothly enough to even form words. Instead, I lay back against his chest, forcing him to lower us back down onto the chaise into what I suppose was our position before I woke up. I am laying on his chest, in between his legs, with his arms around me. I'm so tired. Ahk is very warm. His arms around me make me feel safe, unlike that strange voice from a few moment ago. I swallow a few times.

"How long have I been asleep?"

"Almost a full twenty four hours. We missed our flight. We would have woken you up, but Father insisted that it was perfectly normal, and you need to regain your strength after…"

"Right."

"Are you feeling alright?"

"Very tired, but fine otherwise."

"Good. What were you dreaming about?"

I pause, attempting to shake off the sudden uneasiness that has overcome me. Was that just a dream? A part of me really doesn't feel that it was. I should tell him.

"I had a dream where I was in darkness. And there was a voice…"

"And what did it say?"

"It told me that I would need to pay for my crime."

"Your crime?" he asks, brows knitting in confusion.

"I stole a life from him. He wants mine in return."

Ahk's eyes widen, "And you saw nothing?"

"No. I felt as if I was blind. It was very scary."

"I'm sure it was. I'm very sorry you had to experience that."

"What does it mean?"

"You were visited by Osiris. He doesn't take kindly to those that take lives from him. But to ask for yours in return… No. I'll die before I let you die."

Footsteps interrupt our conversation.

"Is she awake?" Larry asks, coming around the corner and seeing me.

"Oh. Hi." he smiles at me.

"Hi."

"How are you feeling?" he asks.

"Fine."

Larry walks over to me and sits down on the end of the chaise. More footsteps sound through the Egypt exhibit. Merenkahre and Shepseheret come around the corner, followed be Nick. He has gotten a change of clothes and looks decidedly not dead. Ahkmenrah's parents smile when they see me, but they look a little stressed. Nick, however, breaks into an ear to ear grin, and rushes over to me. He wraps me in a hug, forcing me to leave Ahk's arms.

"You're incredible. You are so incredible. Saying thank you doesn't even seem like enough. You saved my life."

"Thank you is a good place to start, though. I would do anything for you Nick, you're my family."

He smiles at me again, before going back over to my uncle. I settle back into Ahk's chest, wishing I could fall back asleep. But, everyone knows that I am awake. There's no getting out of this now. We sit in an awkward silence for a moment, before Ahk breaks it.

"She had a subconscious meeting with Osiris."

Shepseheret's mouth drops open for a moment before she remembers her manners, and Merenkahre looks deflated.

"It's good it happened now rather than later. What did he tell you?"

I don't feel like sitting up, so I don't.

"He said that I would have to pay for taking a life from him by the next new moon."

"That's tonight." Shepseheret murmurs.

"And what did he say the price was?" Merenkahre asks warily.

"My life."

Larry tenses immediately, "No. No way."

Nick sobers, "This is my fault."

"What? How is this your fault?"

"If I hadn't punched him, he never would have-"

"Nick. Don't blame yourself. I would save you again a thousand times over again without question."

"You don't have to say that, Alex."

"Of course I do. It was my choice to save you."

He sighs, knowing that we won't get anywhere going back and forth like this. Merenkahre takes the opportunity to cut in.

"If we do not act in time, Osiris' consequences will be worse than your death. This is the only way. Kahmunrah has already brought Osiris' wrath upon this family. We cannot further provoke him without consequence."

Ahkmenrah's arms tighten around me, "I won't allow it. I would rather die in her place."

Merenkahre's eyes sparkle with paternal love, "My son, that is a very brave offer. But, there is another option. It is risky, though."

We all wait with baited breath as Merenkahre gathers his thoughts, "We will kill you, but-"

Ahk all but bolts out of the chaise. His father holds up a hand, and Ahk keeps his mouth shut. He leans us back on the chaise again.

"As I was saying. We will kill you. But, we will kill you under the ceremony that our family went through to bind ourselves to the tablet, and make us immortal. If you are bound to the power, you can be brought back to life when in contact with the tablet. But there is a risk to this. When the tablet dies, nothing can bring it back. Since you _are_ the tablet, we have to hope that your link to the power outweighs the actual power within you. If it doesn't, we will all die."

We sit in silence for a moment as it sinks in. It's risky. How do we know that the bond will be more important to the power than my body that is hosting it? It's terrifying. Not only I could die, but Ahk and his parents could, too. Osiris's threat must be a serious one for them to risk their lives as well. But, looking over at Nick, I'm realizing why I did it. I would do it again, even knowing these new risks. There's no telling what is going to happen, but it's worth a shot. If it means I don't have to bring the "wrath of Osiris" onto us, then I'll do it.

 _"_ _Are you willing to try?"_ Ahk asks softly.

I look up at him for a moment. His eyes are big and warm, and safe. I should do this. I need to put myself second. If I don't die, we'll think of it as an added bonus. If it means that Larry and Nicky and Ahk and his parents get to be spared…

 _"_ _Yes."_

An unspoken tension suddenly makes the air too thick to breathe in. I just agreed to a potential suicide mission. I could die for real. I could _die_. But for my family, it's necessary.

"We need to begin. Luckily for us, those that sent us on to our next life packed a trunk with the necessary provisions for us." Shepseheret stands, beckoning for me to follow her.

With a sigh, I pull myself from Ahk's arms and follow her deeper into the exhibit. We come upon a trunk pushed against a wall, which she opens. Inside, there is a white cloth, and a sharp looking dagger. She pulls out the white cloth, which turns out to be a dress, pants, and shirt. She puts the pants and shirt back, and hands me the dress.

"Put this on, please. No other clothing is permitted. These clothes were blessed by the priest, you must wear them."

I turn away from her, taking the dress and making my way even further down the hallway. I find a reasonably secluded spot between some chests, and strip out of my clothing. I cringe a little as I remove my bra and underwear, but she said no other clothing. I slip the cotton dress over my head. It is loose, luckily, and doesn't show too much. It is long and flowing, and makes me feel like some sort of angel. Do hair ties count? I don't want to risk it. I take my black hair out of its tie. It falls over my shoulders and down my back in soft waves, creating a stark contrast to the white dress. I fold my clothes and bring them back to Shepseheret, who takes them and sets them next to the trunk.

"Normally, the ceremony involves a cut to either your neck or wrist, a major artery. All the tablet needed was one drop of blood, and you were bound to it. But in this case, we don't know if the power will still take blood to be bound to it, or how it works. Since the power is already inside of you, and so is your blood, you could be bound to it already. Or, you could not. There is no way of knowing. In addition, Osiris demands your life, not just a drop of blood. Instead of being able to staunch the flow after one drop, you're going to need to bleed out. And die."

My stomach wrenches at those words. Not only do I have to die, but I have to bleed out. What an awful way to die. That is what scares me. Not the death, but the dying. But if Ahk and his parents could do it every day, then I can do it for one night. Either way, I'll only have to die once. The question is if I'll wake up. Ahkmenrah's mother and I walk back to the exhibit, where the men are waiting.

"Larry, Nick, you'll have to wait outside. Please, say your goodbyes now." Shepseheret says with a grim smile.

Nick hugs me fiercely, "I love you. I still can't believe you're doing this for me. You're making all of my other cousins look bad."

He finishes his sentence with a shaky laugh, and it's then that I realize he's starting to tear up. It only makes me hug him tighter.

"If you stay dead, I want you to know that you're the best person ever. If you come back, I want you to know that you're the best person ever. Okay?"

Now I'm starting to cry. The enormity of the situation is finally starting to hit me. Death is a scary thing. What is it going to feel like? He finally lets me go, wiping his eyes and smiling at me. Larry is next, hugging me so tightly I find it hard to breathe. I couldn't care less.

"I love you so much, Alex. You are such a kind-hearted person. You're so strong, and brave. And we'll catch you on the flip side, okay, kiddo?"

"Okay."

He smiles at me, and the two Daleys make their way out of the exhibit. I wipe my eyes and turn to the waiting royal family. Merenkahre holds out the dagger to me. It is carved with many different hieroglyphics and symbols. As always, they speak of eternal life and Khonsu's light. It's too bad that Khonsu doesn't have much to do with the tablet anymore.

 _"_ _This blade has been blessed by the priest and tied to the power. If you use this blade to take your life, there is a chance that you will be bound to the tablet, and you will be able to rejoin the world of the living. Or, you will not. Either way, you will be fulfilling Osiris' requests for a life. Are you prepared?"_

 _"_ _Yes."_

I take the weapon. The magic within me senses the dagger, and a zing of power jolts through me.

 _"_ _Then you may begin."_

I have to do this by myself? I'm shaking. I have to push this blade into my wrists, and bleed out, and die. That feels so wrong. I take in a deep breath, and exhale. There's no going back now. I can do this. I can do this. I take another breath, and bring the dagger to my left wrist. Slowly, I drag the blade over my skin. It stings, but I grit my teeth and will myself to ignore it. It cuts smoothly, and deeply. Almost immediately, my blood begins to drip down my palms, off of my fingertips, and to the floor. I switch hands, staining the metal with my blood. I slice it across my right wrist. The blood begins to pour down my hand. I feel as if I'm about to throw up. I'm very dizzy. Suddenly, my fingers go weak. The heavy metal clatters to the tiles beneath me, the sound clanging harshly off of the walls. The blood drips heavily and steadily, creating two good-sized puddles on either side of me. I'm forcing myself to take deep breaths, but I can't seem to get air into my lungs. My vision blurs for a moment, the blood making me go nauseous. I waver on my feet for a moment.

I hear Ahkmenrah's pained voice, _"Please."_

I hear Merenkahre, _"Go."_

Moments later, I feel familiar arms wrapping around me, and lowering to the floor. Ahk is getting my blood all over him, but I don't think that he cares. He delicately pulls me in to his lap, cradling me against him. I'm feeling sick and lethargic. The sight of my oozing wrists makes me feel nauseous. Maybe the Egyptians were just a little morbid. I'm still trembling, and I think I'm crying, but I'm not sure. He threads his hand through mine and squeezes lightly, bringing me comfort and terror at the same time. I can't move my hands nearly as well. I feel weak. Am I really going to die? What if I don't come back? I don't want to die. I didn't get to say goodbye to Ahkmenrah.

"Ahk?" my voice sounds strange to my ears, quiet and weak.

"Mmm?"

He leans in closer. I can see tears glistening in his eyes, and I know that mine are watering, too.

"Thank you."

His smile is beautifully bitter sweet, "For what?"

My vision is starting to waver in and out of focus. I feel very tired. I'm not aware of my bleeding anymore, despite the fact that I can feel the warm crimson trickling down my arms. It is staining the pure white dress with a deep red. I feel… calm. I feel like I've taken a ton of sleeping pills.

"For everything. You help me find strength even when I'm terrified, even when I'm dying." I let out a teary giggle.

Before I can process what's happening, his lips are on mine in a gentle kiss. I focus the rest of my energy into him, tightening my grip as best I can on his hand, and kissing him back. Butterflies stir in my stomach. Finally, we break away. I lean my head against his chest, and this time, I don't have the strength to lift it back up. I can feel my fingers falling loose again. I can't seem to catch my breath. This is it. I can feel a cool, peaceful feeling spreading through me. I'm dimly aware of Ahk's lips on my forehead.

 _"_ _Sleep in peace."_

 ** _dangggg this chapter was deep. ouch. I had fun writing it though! I hope you liked reading it :) hello and thank you so much to corrinnee, horseygirlforthewin, What's so wrong with me (you're the best for following me as well!), Goldensilver2, and KatieMcRae96! you guys are the best! thanks for your endless support and your awesome reviews! please continue to leave those, it gives me such joy to read them. even a simple "good chapter" will suffice, but it means so much to me to know what you guys are thinking of the story and how you like it! if you enjoyed, please review, favorite, and follow, and I'll see you next chapter! :D_**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

 _"_ _You have fulfilled my request, and sacrificed yourself to me. Your soul, however, shall remain in the mortal world. The powers of the High Priest have saved you, causing you to be bound to the power. You are now immortal. Your physical state is now frozen in time. You will no longer age, or get sick. As the embodiment of the magic, however, the power is greater. You cannot be killed by any mortal wound. The power naturally protects itself, meaning that it will keep your body alive in the face of any challenge. Every bone in your body could shatter, every organ could fail, but you will never be permanently injured. You will never die. Your bravery has earned you the blessing of the gods. Your willingness to give your life for those you love is very noble. In your time of need, we will be there to help you. Use your unimaginable power with good will and fairness. You will be tempted by the power of darkness, but remain steadfast. Your life will be a blessed one if you so choose. Go now, and rejoin the mortal world. Do not provoke the gods. Use your power for good, and you will never fail."_

* * *

The heart is a very interesting organ. Easily the most important. A body is not truly dead until one's heart stops. Every other organ could stop working, but until the heart gives up, you are not truly dead. I have been truly dead. My heart has stopped. But just as quickly, it starts again. Slowly at first, one beat every five minutes. It is unsure of its new, immortal state, which is understandable. The organs in my body still serve their purpose, but now they will never stop serving it. I will never die. My heart beat quickens now, to one beat per minute. My organs start themselves once more, my lungs take in their first real breath of air. The pharaoh beside me bursts into tears immediately, overjoyed. He stands immediately, fetching his parents, my uncle, and my cousin to witness. My heart strengthens itself again, one beat every thirty seconds. Those I died for crowd around me, waiting for my eyes to open themselves. The pharaoh grabs my hand tightly, but my nerves aren't awake yet. I can't feel it. My lungs inhale another gulp of air as my brain awakens itself. It has awakened anew, with a brand new portion. A portion of it my mortal body had been adjusting to previously. But it is not time for that part of my brain to awaken yet. The heart within me quickens itself once more, one beat every second, which is just about a normal heart rate. My organs are now functioning normally. My fingers are able to curl around the pharaoh's, causing his tears to fall more rapidly. His mother strokes his hair as she smiles down at him. My uncle and cousin have also begun to cry. For them, this is a miracle. But I know better. My heart beat finally levels itself at a normal human heart rate. Now that my mortal body is fully functioning once more, it is time for the new portion of my brain to become introduced to the rest of me. It slowly sparks to life, rolling several jolts of electricity down my body. The pharaoh lets go of my hand abruptly, shaking the lightning from his fingertips. I am now aware of things humans would not be aware of. I can feel the blood rushing in my veins, and the air surrounding me. The dress I am clothed in is made of fine Egyptian cotton, harvested from a field in lower Egypt, based on the feeling of the fibers. My reach extends farther than that, though. I can feel each person's thoughts and emotions. Most are very frazzled: relief, love, terror. I don't care much for what they are thinking at this time, though. I can feel the vibrations of each person's breath over my head. I can feel the thrum of each person's heart beat. I can feel every particle of every object in this room, down to each individual grain of sand in the bank forty seven and five sixteenths inches away from me. I can feel the build of the museum around me, and the walls that are more stable than others. I can hear the traffic outside. Someone is being mugged two blocks away from here, north west. It is seven o' clock in the evening. Seven hours, four minutes, thirty seven seconds, six milliseconds, twenty nine microseconds, fifty two nanoseconds, to be exact. According to Webster's Dictionary, time is a non spatial continuum that is measured in terms of events which succeed one another from past through present to future. I read that once in fourth grade, on March fifteenth, at eleven hours and thirteen minutes in the morning. This new brain can access memories my mortal self couldn't remember. I can see my adoptive father and mother, halfway around the world in Oregon. I can see them through their own eyes. My mother is painting, my father is writing up a proposal for his company. If I really wanted to, I could influence what he was typing, but that would be rude. If I really really wanted to, I could leave right now and show up in Oregon in a matter of two seconds. But that would probably scare him. I can change my appearance at will, all it would take is a simple thought and I could give myself blue skin, purple hair, and white eyes. I can speak every language known to man since the beginning of time. I could easily translate any number of documents, restore any artifact, find any treasure. There is currently two hundred and seventy trillion, seven hundred and sixty one billion, one hundred and thirteen million, four hundred and twenty five thousand, nine hundred and thirty eight dollars and seventy two cents worth of buried treasure in the world, on land and in the sea. At my word, the entire world will live in peace. Or I could start a world war. At the flick of my hand, I could shatter the entire North American tectonic plate. I could cause another Ice Age. I could reverse gravity. I could cause the Earth to fall out of rotation and become lost in space. I could stop time.

But, I'm smart enough to know that this is not good. This is too much power. It is not safe for any person to have this much magic at their fingertips. The priest was the only person on this Earth to have access to such blessed powers, before myself. Osiris was very serious in his wish for me to use this power for good. I can see now that the darkness could be very tempting to me. At the simple will of my mind, I could make Ahkmenrah rip out his parents' hearts and crush them in his fists. But, I won't. I will never use magic on Ahk or his family, unless it is to save them. No searching through their thoughts, and no controlling their actions. Except for Kahmunrah. I would totally make Kahmunrah jump off of a cliff if the opportunity presented itself.

Suddenly, I become aware of another dull hum. This one, from inside of me. It is unmistakably the hum of life. And yet, it isn't mine. Suddenly, it clicks. I am merely a vessel. This power is not mine, nor will it ever be. Surely it operates through my body; and yet, it has a mind of its own. Osiris' warning takes a new meaning. I cannot provoke the gods, or the power. If I do, it could take control of me. I have no way of ensuring that doesn't happen. The idea terrifies me. What if I'm not good enough for the power? Will it decide that I am useless? That I cannot make decisions for myself? If this power takes over, if it runs free, there is no telling who will die. It is too much. I'm a prisoner in my own body. I have succumbed my free will to this magic. It is now my job to care for and utilize this power, like the priest before me. And who knows? Maybe one day, it will engulf me.

I can survive with this, once I learn to control it. I'm sure Merenkahre will be willing to help me, if he doesn't run screaming from me first. Any person in their right mind would. I would run from myself. It isn't healthy for a human to go around and shatter the laws of physics. I wipe my memory of the terrifying revelations I have made. If I ever resort to those spells, it will be because I have burned through even my last resort. I wish I could get rid of it. This is not good power. Not in the slightest. I open my eyes.

"Alex." Ahk's choked voice murmurs.

His arms are around me in an instant. I find myself inhaling his scent; he smells like sunshine, with a muskier scent beneath. I like it. I like him. I feel a little giddy as the feeling hits me. I really like him. A lot. And he likes me. But, I cannot have him. My duty is to the magic within me. I already know that if I let myself love him, I'll always put him before my duty to the magic. And it won't like that. I shiver, imagining what the power would do to me if it decided I was unworthy of it. I can already feel it reining in the parts of my rebellious thoughts it dislikes.

Ahkmenrah pulls back and smiles, wiping tears from his eyes. It's sweet that he would cry over me. I know that some guys are touchy about what they cry for. But, both Larry and Nick have also deemed me a worthy cause. Nick hugs me first, followed by Larry. Merenkahre and Shepseheret also give me a hug, which surprises me. Every breath sends tons if information flooding into my brain. It takes me a second of concentration to turn it off. But once I do, I'm left with nothing but a headache. I'm starting to hate these powers even more. I've been robbed of my freedom to do as I please. Now, I am a slave. If I'm careful, it won't end too badly for me.

"Alex? Are you okay?"

The sound of Nick's voice jars my thoughts. I don't feel like myself. I feel like a robot. Slowly, I sit up. Ahk pulls away, his smile fading. He can tell that something is wrong. It feels as if a part of me is missing. My old self cannot connect to this new form. Suddenly, a thought that is most certainly not my own rushes into my head.

 _I must protect the power._

Where did that come from? That was not my voice. And yet, I heard it clear as day. I blink, trying to get it out of my head, but it is relentless.

 _I must protect the power._

I must protect the power. What? No. I am allowed to think of my own accord. The power will not take over my mind. My thoughts are my own.

 _I must protect the power._

I must protect the power. My duty is to the power. It is my job as the vessel to ensure its glory. What are these words? Why are they in my head? This isn't me. I struggle to stand up from the chaise, wobbling on my feet as I stumble to the sand bar on the side of the room. I grip the cold stone, forcing myself to keep my thoughts together.

 _I must protect the power._

I must protect the power. My duty is to the power. It is my job as the vessel to ensure its glory. I am responsible for caring for the power. I will use it to the best of my abilities, and let nothing stand in my way. These mortals do not stand a chance against me. All those who oppose will die.

No.

Stop!

This isn't me. This is something else. This isn't how it's supposed to be. I'm supposed to have magic at my fingertips, not the other way around. The power does not control me. I control it. Whatever voice that is in my head isn't mine.

 _I must protect the power._

I must protect the power. My duty is to the power. It is my job as the vessel to ensure its glory. I am responsible for caring for the power. I will use it to the best of my abilities, and let nothing stand in my way. These mortals do not stand a chance against me. All those who oppose will die. I must finish what the High Priest started. When the journey is made, all questions will be answered. The search for the truth will be complete.

I can't stop the words from flowing into my head. They come in an endless cycle, engulfing my thoughts until mine are rather nonexistent in comparison. A hand on my arm zings through my nervous system. My head snaps in the direction of the intruder. How dare they? How dare they touch the magic without permission first? I must protect the power. I yank my arm away. Larry's eyes convey hurt and confusion.

"Don't touch me." I growl.

My voice doesn't sound like itself. This is not me. Warning bells are screaming in what little portion of my brain that still belongs to me. The magic is taking over. I must fight this. I have to fight this! My enhanced grip is so strong against the stone it cracks in a puff of white dust. Sand spills to the floor. Larry looks terrified, but he doesn't back away.

"Alex. This isn't you. Show me where you are. Please."

 _I must protect the power._

"Larry Daley, do not give me orders. I take them from nobody. Stand aside, or I-"

I cut the words off with a strangled gasp before I can hurt anyone. These words are not my own. I didn't say them, and yet they came from my mouth.

"Larry," I manage to choke out, "please, don't get in the way. It will kill-"

The force controlling my body halts my words. I can feel the command I have over my brain slipping even further away. This magic is going to take over my body. I can't do anything about it. Larry, much to my dismay, doesn't give up.

"Alex, please. I want to help you, okay? You need to fight against this. You're strong. You can do it."

"Larry… please… I can't…"

The power is cutting off my oxygen supply to prevent me from saying anything else. It demands submission from its vessel. Larry lays his hand on my arm again. Oh no. Against my will, my hand connects with his forearm in a dazzling display of sparks. My uncle cries out and jerks back. When my vision clears, what I see almost stops my heart. His forearm is so badly burned I expect it to smoke. His blackening flesh is curling back in layers, revealing bright red skin beneath. It looks horrible. Nick rushes to him as Larry buckles to the ground in shock. I burned him. I hurt him. I can feel big tears begin to drip down my cheeks. I'm a monster. My eyes flick up to Ahk, who is looking shocked. There is something else in his eyes. It's terror. He's terrified of me.

 ** _hi! I am so so sorry for how long it has been since I last updated. I actually have some super awesome news for you, I have been devoting my time to another AWESOME story (if I do say so myself wink wink). This one does not involve any magic or supernatural (except for fate and destiny, which I suppose are a bit supernatural... I digress.) and is all about theatre and the Phantom of the Opera and my husband (even though he doesn't actually know it yet) Ramin Karimloo! I actually started this story a rather long time ago, and then I left it alone to sit for a while, and now I've attacked it with renewed vigor and it's really very good. you don't have to be familiar with the Phantom of the Opera to understand the story (although it is HIGHLY recommended that you've seen it! the best thing to do would be to watch the twenty fifth anniversary performance at the Royal Albert Hall). the whole story is centered around the twenty fifth anniversary and the Christine that you didn't know about... ;) I'm really proud of it tbh and it's not a story about magic or stuff like that it's just about real people! (featuring: Ramin Karimloo (aka captain washboard abs), Sierra Boggess, Hadley Fraser, and Andrew Lloyd Webber!) if you're in to theatre in any way, this story is the one for you. just saying. please please comment if you're interested in it, i'm thinking about posting the prologue early so you guys can get a taste of it. it'll be posted under plays/musicals and phantom (where the TRUE phantom fans post. the 2004 movie pained me. don't post it under movies.) so, please give me as an author a follow if you're interested! it's called "In Sleep He Sang To Me". i promise there will be tons of drama, a super sweet love story, and a few steamy scenes... ;) okay, now back to this story. I HOPE YOU LIKED IT! this chapter was kind of tough to write tbh haha. THANK YOU THANK YOU to LVOWL (don't worry, your questions will be answered soon), ridellemystere, Aqua79, cnyonghwa, PeterPan2425, Mizuki-the-dead, cupcake3112, WareTheVenom, TobiHeartsYou, oliviachuffer, twyla15507, Yuuki-Hime 2097, superfluffy78, ScrewballBRaine, Ice Jewel of eternal beauty, goromel, AysuOfTheMoonlitWater, YNoThinkBrain, .bibliophile, serenitylovegod (thank you so much for following me!), Jesserella16, and mrs. leonard mccoy for favoriting/following! you guys are the best and your support is absolutely magnificent. your reviews honestly brighten my mood x1000 every day I get one, please continue to leave them for me! I live off of reviews let's be real here. thank you for reading! sorry my note was so long. bye!_**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

Before I can do any more damage, I turn and run out of Egypt. My legs take me down hallway after hallway until my lungs are burning and my vision is too teary to see anything else. I slide down the wall and to the floor, burying my head in my hands. Huge sobs wrack my chest. What am I becoming? What if I can never be normal again? How many more people am I destined to hurt?

The sound of footsteps interrupts my train of thought. I don't even need to look up to know that it is Kahmunrah. I can hear his thoughts. He wants to take me, and use my power to "take over this miserable excuse for a planet". His words. Not mine. What little control I regained over my body disappears as the magic shifts into protection mode once more. I freeze Kahmunrah just as he comes around the corner. His face is frozen in a look of perpetual confidence. I'll be sure to wipe that off. How dare he, thinking that he can harness the power for himself? He is not worthy. I must protect the power.

 _"_ _Don't kill him!"_ Shepseheret shouts.

My body is frozen in a defensive stance, prepared to eliminate the threat. I can sense Shepseheret, Merenkahre, and Ahkmenrah running up behind me. Nicky has stayed with Larry in the exhibit to care for his burn. The one that I gave him. I notice that the royal family is keeping their distance from me.

 _"_ _My Queen, you must consider this. He has caused nothing but harm to our family. Perhaps death should be a possibility."_ Merenkahre murmurs.

Shepseheret glares at him, _"How could you say that? He is our son. I know there is goodness within him, Merenkahre. Please. Give him a chance. We should just speak to him."_

Merenkahre looks skeptical, _"My Queen, please. Kahmunrah is dangerous. He cannot be reasoned with. He went through his own brother for the throne. Nothing will get in between him and his ambitions. In this case, it is Alexandria. Will you really risk her?"_

He went through his own brother? What does that mean? Shepseheret turns to me, eyes glittering with tears. She loves her son. Somewhere deep inside of her, past the guarded heart, she still harbors a mother's love. I don't want to kill Kahmunrah. He may be venomous, but he doesn't deserve death. No one does. The power within me seems to disagree. The threat is vulnerable. I should strike now, while he's unguarded. I cannot allow damage to the magic. I have to reason with the voice in my head. I can strike him down in a matter of seconds. Why not give him a chance to justify his death? Shepseheret looks as if she is about to burst into tears, and Merenkahre looks similar. Ahkmenrah is gazing at me with a mix of suspicion, terror, and awe. I can't handle him being afraid of me. This is his family. They would never forgive me for taking Kahmunrah's life. Slowly, I manage to release my hold on him. He continues to stride towards me and the powers surge to life again, prepared to fight for protection.

 _"_ _Don't come any closer. You have ten seconds to explain yourself before I seriously injure you."_ I threaten.

Kahmunrah chuckles, _"Don't worry, dearest. I am pleased to inform you of a way to make you comply with my wishes."_

What is he talking about, and why is it making him so confident? If he knows anything about this power, he should be afraid.

 _"_ _Go on."_ Merenkahre murmurs, apprehension in his voice.

Kahmunrah leisurely takes a few steps closer. I squeeze my eyes shut to keep the powers at bay. My fingers are itching to murder him for getting too close to the power. I must protect the power.

 _"_ _I'll get right to the point, then. As I'm sure you've experienced, dearest, the power that you have within you is dangerous. The gods knew this. They created a weapon to combat your strength, something that could truly control, or kill, you if the need ever arose. I happen to posses such a weapon, and I have no qualms about using it on you."_

 _"_ _Why would you kill me if you need me?"_

 _"_ _I would only kill you if you refused to help me. I've always found that torture can be rather persuasive. And if you still refuse to help me, I would rather you be dead than available for use by someone else."_

 _"_ _I am not just an object to be used by whomever pleases!"_

I can feel electricity crackling through my veins. My powers are begging me to hurt this man. I'm starting to feel that I wouldn't be opposed.

 _"_ _This is your last chance, dearest. Help me willingly, or I will force you to help me. It is your choice."_

My blood is boiling, _"Never."_

Kahmunrah shrugs, _"Then watch your back. You're not as powerful as you think. I'll be in the Hall of the Afterlife if you change your mind. And if you make one move to try and kill me, I won't hesitate to use my weapon."_

Now, the only thing keeping me from killing him is his threat. If he can truly kill me, it wouldn't be prudent to hurt him at the risk of him using his weapon and damaging the power. What if Kahmunrah isn't bluffing? Is there truly a weapon that can take away my powers? Or worse, kill me? It makes a sickening amount of sense. Of course the Egyptian gods wouldn't be stupid enough to let such intemperate power run rampant. But how did Kahmunrah of all people obtain the weapon? The evil pharaoh can tell his threat has made me pause, and he takes the opportunity to make his escape. I can feel a collective sigh of relief rush from his parents. Ahk hasn't torn his eyes away from me. Finally, the power subsides again, leaving me feeling dizzy and heartbroken. I slowly turn around to face Ahkmenrah and his parents. Matching expressions of concern grace their faces.

My voice wavers more than I intend it to, _"Would he really kill me?"_

The fear in Ahkmenrah's eyes melts as he sees that I'm back in my own head. He hesitantly walks towards me. I cringe, waiting for the power to rush into me again, but there is nothing. The magic recognizes the one that it is bound to, and sees that it isn't a threat. Thank goodness. I don't think my heart could handle hurting Ahkmenrah. He pulls me in to his strong arms. I'm enveloped in his warmth, and the tears start to fall again. I feel as if I'm falling apart. I have no control over my actions anymore, and I have no doubt that I am capable of killing someone. My greater fear, however, is that it will end up being someone I care about. Recalling Larry's horrified face sends a fresh wave of sobs through me. It was me that caused that chaos. I hurt my own family. I hurt someone that I love without a second thought because of the power's influence over me.

 _"_ _Ahk,"_ I take a shaky breath, _"I'm so scared."_

He softly shushes me, pressing his lips onto the top of my head, _"I know you are. You must remain strong. You can get through this."_

He pulls away from me, giving me a small smile, _"I have faith in you, Alex. You are the bravest person I have ever had the pleasure of knowing."_

Ahkmenrah's words send a flutter of butterflies through me. Suddenly, a memory of my death that I had previously repressed comes floating back into my mind. Soft lips on mine, and the taste of salty tears… He kissed me. Ahk _kissed_ me. Before I can let myself feel excited, my memory flips back to the terrified expression on his face when I burned Larry. He's afraid of me. And he should be. I pull away from him, trembling.

 _"_ _Ahk, you have to stay away from me. I couldn't bear to hurt you."_

He gives me a sad smile, _"I understand. Just know that I support you. The person that is deep inside of you, not the one influenced by the power."_

 _"_ _Alexandria,"_ Merenkahre interrupts, _"what can we do to help?"_

My mind flits back to the thought that the tablet put into my head earlier.

 _"_ _The power said something about continuing the High Priest's journey. A search for truth?"_

Merenkahre's face turns contemplative, _"The priest was a very reclusive man. If he was working on a project of some sort, it was nothing that I knew of."_

Shepseheret nods her agreement.

 _"_ _Do you think,"_ Merenkahre starts uncertainly, _"that you could allow the magic to tell you a bit more?"_

My chest tightens at the thought of willingly relinquishing what little control I have over myself so willingly. I can feel the hum of that second life corroding my will power. Soon enough, there will be none of me left. But, I see the logic in Merenkahre's suggestion. Maybe the power would be able to tell me more about the priest's journey?

I nod reluctantly, _"I'll do it. But please, don't make any movements that I might interpret as a threat. I couldn't bear to injure any of you."_

The royal family steps back, keeping a good distance from me so as not to end up like Larry. I doubt that the power would harm them on account of them being bound to it, but I'm not willing to take any chances. I close my eyes and take a deep, shaky breath. Slowly, I allow the walls I have built around my free-will to deteriorate. The magic sinks into my brain cells, filling my head with thoughts that aren't my own. I can't stop them this time. My voice sounds choked, but I try to relay the message as best I can to Ahk and his parents.

 _"_ _I must protect the power. My duty is to the power. It is my job as the vessel to ensure its glory. I am responsible for caring for the power. I will use it to the best of my abilities, and let nothing stand in my way. These mortals do not stand a chance against me. All those who oppose will die. I must finish what the High Priest started. When the journey is made, all questions will be answered. The search for the truth will be complete. I must return to the place where it began, and complete the search for the truth."_

The words stop, and I know that the message is over. I can feel the power humming in my veins as I decide what to do next. I need to regain my thoughts. I fight for control again. My head is pounding with the strain of my internal battle, but I eventually force the power out of the portion of my thoughts that belong to me. I loosen my clenched fists, my breath coming out of my lungs in one big whoosh.

 _"_ _What does it mean?"_

The three of them all tilt their heads, and I can see how they're related. Suddenly, it clicks into place, _"The place where it began. The place where he was first given the power. We have to go Egypt."_

 ** _ahhhhh hi sorry about that cliffhanger. also, very very sorry about not having updated in AGES. I have been SO SO busy, the show that I have been rehearsing for day in and day out is opening next week, and once it's over, I'll have tons of time to write! so hang on until then, guys. anyways, hello and thank you to Antrisity (thanks for following me!), Dreamers Are Real (you're the bomb for following me ty!), smilesrawesome3579, CauseImHappiness (you're the best for following me!), StUpeDKID (thanks for favoriting me!), DemontaDark, chloejayne123, 1211 (for following me and the first!), DreamerJess, AvidReader06 (thanks for favoriting me ily!), MrsAnniething, Hassingthecoolone, WalkersAreInfinite, and antaures for favoriting and following! thank you guys so so so much for your reviews and your incredible support even though I've been MIA for a while. words cannot express how grateful I am for every single reader!_**

 ** _other news: the phantom of the opera story is coming along VERY nicely, I would very highly encourage you to give me a follow if you're interested in a love story between two actors playing the iconic roles of the Phantom and Christine, hopefully I'll be able to post the prologue soon! also, I have started drafting up my very very first original story, which I'll hopefully be posting on Wattpad in due course. if you're interested in a very steamy romance book about an illicit teacher/student relationship, stay tuned for when I post it! if you like what I'm writing, then please please please review, follow, and favorite! see you guys next chapter! :D_**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

Shepseheret went back to Egypt to inform Larry and Nick of our plan. I didn't go myself for fear of hurting either of them again. Merenkahre and Ahk stayed with me, the younger pharaoh calming me by holding me in his arms and rubbing comforting patterns into my back. It's around this time that I become aware of the fact that I'm not wearing anything but the billowing white dress, which of course, has been miraculously cleaned of any blood. Is there anything this power isn't capable of doing? At this point, my wardrobe is the least of my worries. Shepseheret returns.

 _"_ _Are we ready?"_

 _"_ _I believe so."_ Merenkahre responds.

They all turn their attention to me. It's up to me to take us there, and I'm fairly certain I can do it.

 _"_ _Everyone join hands, please."_

We do, Ahk giving my right hand a reassuring squeeze. We form a little circle.

 _"_ _Close your eyes."_

They do. I do as well, taking a deep breath. I don't exactly know where we'll end up, but I think about taking us to the High Priest's tomb. Slowly, the gold edges into my vision. I can feel a strange wind picking up around us, swirling through my hair. A roar that starts out quiet at first quickly becomes deafening, and I can no longer feel the floor beneath my feet. Then, all too suddenly, the roar silences and the wind dies. I can feel ground beneath my feet again, but it's not the tiles of the museum. I open my eyes. It's too dark to see Ahk next to me, but I fix that by lighting up the dead torches on the walls of the tomb with a flick of my eyes. We are in a large room with a dirt floor and stone walls. The torches cast grotesque shadows over our faces. We hesitantly let go of each other. The room is dead silent, I can hear the royal family's hearts beating rapidly. Of course, that may also have something to do with my enhanced senses. There are pots and trunks lining the walls, with scrolls and other artifacts filling in the spaces between. Everything is covered with a thick coat of dust. The room is musty and warm. There is a sarcophagus along the far wall, one that I can only assume contains the High Priest. The family almost simultaneously sends off a prayer to Osiris asking for forgiveness for disturbing the tomb of their dead priest. My powers are buzzing with electricity, likely recognizing the old vessel and the place of their origin. We're in Egypt.

"Wow." Ahk breathes, finally breaking the silence.

 _"_ _What do we do now?"_ Merenkahre asks, for once not having the answer.

I take a moment to orient myself, and then I glance around the room. Immediately, my attention is drawn to a chest in the corner. It looks rather inconspicuous, but my attention is drawn regardless. I cross the room to it, and pry it open. Centuries old dust puffs up into the air. Inside the chest is a scroll, and an exact replica of Ahk's tablet. I reach out to touch it, but I stop myself. All it took was one touch to inherit the powers and "kill" the tablet, what if I do the same thing to myself? Instead, I reach for the scroll and pull it out of the trunk. The parchment is thick in my hands, perfectly preserved within the trunk despite the years. I unfurl it. The hieroglyphs jump out at me with perfect clarity, and I read its contents to the waiting royal family.

 _"_ _On this day, I have discovered the way to finally rid my body of this power. By creating a new vessel, the tablet, underneath the same ceremony in which the power was transferred to me, I can bestow the power upon the tablet. My research has given no indication that any of its abilities will be compromised, and it will instead require a specific sequence of tiles to make each spell work as opposed to myself simply willing the spell into being. I will begin the ceremony tonight, alone, beneath the full moon. The tablet will draw its powers from the moonlight, just as my very blood gives life to the power now."_

There is a space, and then the glyphs begin again.

 _"_ _The moon has risen to directly above the temple. I will place my hands on the tablet beneath Khonsu's light, and the powers will leave my body and be given to the tablet. There is a chance that I will not survive the transfer of power, and in that instance, I will cross over into Osiris' waiting arms. It will be a relief to be dead or alive and not have the burden of the power weighing heavily on my shoulders. This gift has been a curse to my existence, and I solemnly wish that no one else in the universe has to bear this burden. If this be the case, then I know that the following message will ease the mind:_

 _Do not allow this power to take over. Here I sit with a pot of ink and a sheet of parchment, writing my own words, but every other movement I make is not mine own. This body is simply a vessel, and my soul is the unfortunate wretch pushed to the side to make way for the power and its demands. Consider death as an option, for now I wish that more than anything._

 _I will be able to add more about my experience to this scroll if I survive this ceremony. If I do not, here lie my last words._

The glyphs end. He died. The hieroglyphs begin to shake before my eyes, and I realize my hands are trembling. How am I going to get this out of me? He died trying, and I highly doubt that my chances of survival are any better.

 _"_ _Alex… Don't cry. We will find a way. I swear it."_

I didn't even realize I was, and yet, I see the ink of the glyphs smudge as my tears drip to the parchment. Ahk gathers me in his arms. For the first time, I feel genuinely lost. There is no way to get rid of this without dying. I don't want this to be my life. Maybe death _would_ be the best way.

 _"_ _Ahk, I should just do the ceremony. I'd rather die than have to live like this."_

 _"_ _Don't say that. Please, don't say that. We will solve this."_

 _"_ _There's no other way, don't you see it? This stupid body is too weak to handle the transfer. I can't get this out of me without dying."_

 _"_ _Maybe we shouldn't try to get it out of you, then."_ Merenkahre interjects.

I detach myself from Ahk, wiping my eyes.

 _"_ _What do you mean?"_

 _"_ _If we know that your body will die if we transfer the power, then we shouldn't transfer it."_

 _"_ _But I don't want to keep it!"_

 _"_ _All you have to do is control it."_

I stay quiet, waiting for him to piece his thoughts together.

 _"_ _If we can utilize the weapon that Kahmunrah found, then we can keep the power under control, and unleash it when we need it. You'll have to deal with having the power, and you'll still be able to use it, but perhaps the weapon can control its compulsiveness."_

 _"_ _I like that plan."_ Ahk says, smiling at me.

 _"_ _There are too many things that could go wrong,"_ I muse, _"he said that the weapon would kill me. How are we to know if it will simply contain the power?"_

 _"_ _Alexandria,"_ Merenkahre responds, _"he said that the weapon would control you. Death was an option, but only if he deemed it necessary. I seem to believe the gods had pity on the poor mortal harboring the power, perhaps creating a talisman that could control the power was exactly what they had in mind."_

I want to find fault in this plan for the sake of self preservation, but nothing comes to mind. Could it really be that simple? Could there be an Egyptian artifact created specifically for the purpose of easing the burden on my shoulders?

 _"_ _I want to believe it,"_ my voice comes out as a whisper, _"I do. I truly do. But I can't-"_

 _"_ _You must!"_ Ahk's voice is fierce with intensity, any hope of protesting dies in my throat, _"you must believe in this, Alexandria. You cannot give up hope yet. I will not allow you to."_

Why is he so adamant about not allowing me to give up? I must admire his doggedness, though.

 _"_ _Alright, alright. I'll try. But only because either way leads to death, and it's all the same to me."_

He heaves a pained sigh, but we turn back to his parents.

 _"_ _So it is decided,"_ Shepseheret declares, _"we take the weapon from Kahmunrah, and use it for ourselves."_

 _"_ _Um, small problem. How are we going to steal it?"_

Merenkahre's eyes glitter in the low light, _"In case you haven't noticed, we have a weapon as powerful as the gods standing before us. I don't think we'll have a problem."_

A little voice deep inside of me is telling me not to underestimate Kahmunrah. But then again, Merenkahre does speak the truth. I have a fair chance against Ahk's brother. With these optimistic thoughts floating through our heads, I allow a little bit of hope to bloom inside of me. Maybe, just maybe, this will work. We join hands and close our eyes, and in a matter of seconds, we are whisked from Egypt and back to the British museum. We have been deposited in Egypt, which is largely empty. Except for one very disturbing sight. Nicky is trying his hardest not to cry, and Larry lays barely conscious on the floor. His arm is a whole other sight entirely. I don't wish to describe it. Ew. Nicky flinches when he sees me. I feel the powers buzz to life in the presence of the two strangers, suffocating me with its need to hurt them. I manage to hold it at bay long enough to run out of the room and down the hallway. Sparks fly from my fingers and into the wall, knocking the entire thing down in a massive crash. Where a once eighteen foot by ten foot wood paneled wall stood, there is only dust. When it clears, a very terrified group of Icelandic fishermen are gaping at me.

"Undskyld. Ingen grund til at være bange." I murmur, the Danish rolling off of my tongue with ease.

They relax marginally at the sound of their language, and hurry off before I can blow them to smithereens. Luckily for me, that release of energy and distance from the "threat" has calmed the powers considerably. The sound of footsteps and the feeling of a warm presence draws my attention to Ahkmenrah before he even has a chance to appear from around the corner. As soon as he sees a gaping hole where a wall once stood, he freezes. His eyes flick between me and the non-wall for a full minute.

 _"_ _Are - are you alright?"_

 _"_ _To be completely truthful, not in the slightest."_

A timid smile spreads across his face as he approaches me, realizing the power has likely been calmed for now. It has, I hope. He hugs me again, and I sink gratefully into his arms. The comfort of another human being is doing wonders to my frazzled nerves. He pulls away, placing his hands on my forearms.

 _"_ _Is everything going to be okay?"_ I ask, knowing the silliness of the question.

 _"_ _Without a doubt,"_ he responds, _"I brought this upon you, and I will get it away from you."_

Ahk seems to realize what he just said, and his gaze drops. No. He doesn't blame himself, does he? He does! That's why this has been so horrible for him. This entire time, he has been beating himself up over this.

 _"_ _Ahkmenrah, don't you dare tell me you blame yourself for this."_ I say, backing up and craning my neck to peer into his lowered eyes.

He looks up, and a pain that I have rarely seen is etched into his features. His voice is weak, _"How could I not? I am the one that brought you to the tablet and showed it to you, and I am the one that made you touch it."_

 _"_ _Are you insane? This is a centuries old prophecy! You couldn't have stopped it even if you did know about it! Don't you dare blame yourself for any of this. If anything, we should be blaming the gods."_

The powers zing at my blatant blasphemy, but I'm so wrapped up in my speech I hardly dare to stop.

 _"_ _Don't hurt yourself on my account. Don't you dare. This is my problem to face, and mine alone. You should never think that you had a single thing to do with any of this happening. It is not your fault."_

 _"_ _Don't be so naive,"_ he snaps, his anger finally boiling over, _"I am the fool that brought you to the exhibit. I'm the one that showed you the tablet. I'm the one that let you in. Larry wouldn't have let you, Rebecca wouldn't have let you, Nick wouldn't have let you. And yet, in my never-ending foolishness, I did. I let you in. And look where that has brought us! You have died! You have been cursed with a power that has made your life a living hell! You have caused pain to a man that you love with all of your heart! And it's all my fault! I can't let you give up. I just can't. I have dragged you into this hell, and I will pull you out of it. Even if I have to die trying."_

 _"_ _Ahk, don't! Don't risk your life for me. I'm just a vessel. I'm just another pawn in the game of the gods. The power is what matters here, and you cannot do a single thing to control it. Believe me, I've tried! And I sure as hell don't want you to try and save me from this, because you will die. And I will not let that happen. I would rather die a thousand deaths than rip you away from an eternity with the family that loves you."_

 _"_ _An eternity that will mean nothing if you aren't there with me!"_

Before I have time to push him away, he has crashed his lips onto mine with a force so incredible I would have buckled if not for his arm firmly holding me in place. No. No! I can't let this happen. If I let myself hurt him like I hurt Larry… Those that I love mean nothing to the power.

And yet...

A different energy is sparking within me. His lips slide against mine, and I find my hands winding themselves into his dark hair on their own accord. I pull him even closer, my heart rate speeding up to a rate I hadn't thought possible before this. Sparks fly. Literally. He pulls away, shocked. I press my fingers to my lips, feeling the electricity radiating from me. I just electrocuted him.

"Woah." his voice comes out dark and full of lust.

"I knew I would hurt you if-"

He tugs me against him again, pressing another fierce kiss to my mouth. The tingles spread through us, electrifying our bodies in a way I hadn't thought I would ever find pleasurable. His lips are feverish against mine. It's as if he's saying everything he couldn't say before. I don't even have to dig through his thoughts to see it, clear as moonlight. And I love him for it.

 _ **good lord. good good lord. well, hello friends. please accept my sincerest apologies. I feel like a horrible person. I don't even want to look back at the last time I updated this story, because I know it was ages ago. I'm going to tell you in complete honesty what happened: I got a God awful case of writer's block. I knew where I wanted the story to go, and yet, I couldn't put it into words. has that ever happened to you? it happened to me. and it SUCKED. I didn't want to post a chapter that I wasn't proud of, so, I spent my time writing my other stories and mulling over what to do with this one. also (again in complete honesty) I was kind of scared to come back to this story. but today, I received a review for this poor little story certainly buried beneath other fantastic works and I thought: hey. if people are still reading this, why am I not still writing it? so, I booted up my laptop and got to work. the words flowed, and became what you just read that I hope was to your satisfaction. I am SO SO SORRY that it took me this long to update. I truly am. Alex ought to smite me with that power. thank you to the following people that didn't give up on me and followed me anyways, Emerald180, RaggedyManGoodnight, CarstaK, Lillie123, RockstarAddict, StopEatRead, Alienatia, MedianocheGlow12043 (a** **mo tu nombre**_ _ **!) Maddell (for following the first! don't worry, a rewrite is in progress for that train wreck), anji1504, hettledettle, Cidney Cousinit Williams, Zusette (for following me and the story! I LOVE YOU), StressedButWellDressed (literally tho), Pretty Little Red Rose, Snickerdoodle22, roseangel21 (tysm for following me as well!), cutekoalas, and str81994. and finally, to my guest reader known only as lea, thank you for inspiring me to get back on here! also, a massive thank you to those that are continuing to follow/favorite/read "Rose as Red as Blood", I've hit a bit of a block with that story as well, so I'm stewing on it. thanks for your unending support! please guys, do not hesitate to leave a review about this story. even just a comment on how hot ahk is will suffice (you were all thinking it, don't lie), it means the world to me. I'm finding that your reviews really help me to stay motivated, knowing that people are actively reading the story really pushes me to keep going. feel free to berate me on my lack of updates, if you want. anything. please, please, please accept my apology for being gone for so long. my life has been a stressful one and I'm counting on summer break in a few months to give me much needed time to write. I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH, thanks for being awesome! also, currently accepting ship names for our lovely couple, and a name with which i can address you all. lovelies is too generic for my taste, although all of you are rather lovely ;P also also, as I'm starting an original story for the first time ever (SCARY RIGHT), I am in desperate need of a queen bee character. if any of you are interested, leave a review or PM me. she is a senior at a private school and best friends with co-queen bee, adelaide huntington. she is also musically inclined, playing the violin in the school's world class orchestra program. she is as snotty as a nostril, and is preferably a brunette (my mc is a redhead, and adelaide is platinum blonde). if you have any ideas, don't hesitate to reach out! I'm sure your idea is lovely. please don't be mad at me for taking artistic license if i do use it though, i may need to tailor her to my novel's needs. but you will most certainly get credit for her creation. ok. sorry for the long authors note. I had a lot to say. please remember to review, favorite, and follow, and I'll see you next chapter! (hopefully much, much sooner)**_


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

The Hall of the Afterlife looms over us. It is dark as pitch inside, and silent as a tomb.

 _"_ _Haw are we to know what the weapon looks like?"_ Ahk asks.

I give his hand a small squeeze, _"We don't. Maybe the powers will help us out."_

I close my eyes, willing my vision to expand into the exhibit. Slowly, things come into view. Exhibits detailing the earliest Christian burials, Buddhist funeral pyres, and Mayan sacrificial temples line the walls. At the end of the exhibit is an open Egyptian sarcophagus, and a board explaining the mummification process and the significance of the pyramids. Kahmunrah is lounging on a chaise, cleaning his fingernails. The gesture seems far too conventional, and immediately rouses my suspicion. The powers crackle to life with that itch I can't scratch without hurting someone. I allow myself to probe his mind, waiting for his thoughts to sink into my head. Nothing comes. My head stays silent. What has he done? Has he somehow made himself immune to me?

 _"_ _Ahk, I - I can't read him. He's closed off. Something's wrong."_ I whisper.

 _"_ _We need to go back. I have a bad feeling about this."_

 _"_ _No, I need to do this. Stay here."_

 _"_ _What? No!"_

I cast him a glare, and he lowers his voice again, _"I'm not letting you deal with him alone."_

 _"_ _He won't hurt me. He needs me alive,"_ I murmur, a plan already forming in my head, _"if I come to him alone and pretend to submit to him, he'll let me go. He said so himself."_

 _"_ _Alex, please. I don't want you to get hurt. Let's go back to my parents and-"_

I silence him with a kiss. His arms immediately come down around my waist, tugging me against him. His lips are warm and soft. I can't believe I have to do this. I don't want to. But, I must. I pull away. As soon as he opens his eyes, I lock onto them.

 _"_ _You will stay here, and you will only come when I call for you."_

 _"_ _I will stay here,"_ he repeats dreamily, _"and I will come when you call for me."_

I kiss him again, squeezing his hand one last time before I let go. Guilt washes over me for manipulating Ahk, but if I hadn't, he would have insisted on coming. If he gets hurt… I don't know what I would do. Probably not something good. Ahk's eyes are glazed, he stares at me without seeing me. A thought hits me. I catch his gaze again.

 _"_ _If you are in any immediate danger, you get back to Egypt. No matter what, okay?"_

 _"_ _No matter what."_ he echoes, that vacant look in his eyes unnerving me.

I turn away from him, taking a deep breath and squaring my shoulders. I can do this. I step into the exhibit, my eyes adjusting to the gloom almost instantly. I can see Kahmunrah's form at the end of the hall. He hears my footsteps, and looks up. His face breaks into the smuggest grin I've ever witnessed. I have a very sudden urge to slap it off. But no. Not yet, at least. He stands, suddenly towering over me from the raised pedestal. And yet, I feel larger. The electric current coursing through me is begging to be released.

 _"_ _A fair warning, the power doesn't like you. Don't make any sudden moves."_

 _"_ _Oh, don't worry about me dearest. I'm well protected."_

The weapon. Instantly, my eyes roam his person for a sign of something out of the ordinary. But there is nothing. He has his usual tunic, golden sandals, wicked khopesh, and golden ankh necklace glittering ominously in the dark lighting.

 _"_ _So,"_ Kahmunrah says, his voice reverberating through the room, _"what brings you to me? Did you finally realize who the better brother is?"_

I can actually feel my fingers twitch with the urge to hit him, but I hold back. Instead, I lower my head as humbly as I can.

 _"_ _I - I'm sorry that I didn't see it before. This power needs to be used for all it's worth, not squandered by those afraid of it."_

His fingers press beneath my chin, lifting my gaze to his. I want to bite his fingers off. The electricity crackles over my skin in defense of his touch. I expect him to yank his hand away, but instead a smirk spreads over his features. How does this not hurt him? Maybe a high pain tolerance… However, I suspect it's something worse than that. Kahmunrah runs a thumb over my lower lip. I grit my teeth.

 _"_ _You don't like me very much."_

Oh really? How did you know?

 _"_ _It's not that. The power recognizes an enemy."_

Partly true. Only partly.

 _"_ _And that would also explain the murderous look in your eyes?"_

 _"That's not me. T_ _here's nothing I can do until you kindly remove your hand. Contact isn't good for it."_

Despite my nicest attempt to get him to take his disgusting fingers away, he slides his hand up my face, pressing his palm against my cheek. Again, that stupid thumb strokes over my cheekbone. I suppress a shudder.

 _"_ _That's where you're wrong, dearest. Contact is the best thing for it. You'll learn to control yourself. You've been having problems with that, if the crumbled wall is any indication."_

 _"_ _How do you know about that?"_

 _"_ _It wasn't hard to hear."_

We sit in silence, his thumb annoyingly continuing to stroke my cheek. He breaks the quiet.

 _"_ _You're so enchanting. Are you sure you're not Egyptian?"_

 _"I don't know what I am. I've never met my birth parents."_

 _"_ _Mm. Are you going to tell me why you are here now?"_

 _"_ _I told you, I want to learn how to use the power to its fullest extent."_

 _"_ _And that's all?"_

 _"_ _What else would there be?"_

 _"_ _I don't know, maybe a secret plan to murder me and steal the weapon?"_

 _"_ _No, nothing like that. You have my word."_

Kahmunrah's eyes darken, _"Then prove it."_

Before I can react, his hand has darted into my hair and curled into a fist. He yanks, and I'm pulled against him. His mouth covers mine in an instant. I make a startled noise that quickly evolves into a growl. How dare he! His mouth ravages mine, like he's been thirsty for millennia and I'm his oasis. I beat my fists against his chest, but it's like pounding on solid rock. He pries my lips apart with his tongue, darting into my mouth with ferocity. This is nothing like kissing Ahk. Nothing at all. I stomp on his foot. He hardly flinches. His fingers tighten painfully in my hair, the other one drawing me tightly against him. What can I do? What can I do! I can't use the power against him, then he'll never let me back in. And I haven't even found the weapon yet! Before I can think, I'm biting down on his tongue as hard as I can. He cries out and stumbles back, pressing a hand to his mouth. It comes away bloody. His eyes flick to mine, filled with manic rage.

 _"_ _Tell me what you came here for, or I'll kill you here and now!"_

 _"_ _You wouldn't!"_

His eyes narrow, _"And what makes you think so?"_

 _"_ _You need me. If I'm dead you can never accomplish your goal."_

Kahmunrah chuckles, _"If you will not help me willingly, I have other means."_

He approaches me, a bit of blood beginning to trickle from the corner of his mouth. I repress the instinct to shrink back, instead drawing force from the power. He can't hurt me. Not without the weapon. His hand raises, finding its way to the ankh necklace. He tugs, the thin rope snapping from around his neck.

 _"_ _This is your last chance. Tell me why you're here, and I won't hurt you. You don't want me to hurt you, do you?"_

The necklace. It's the necklace! A sinking feeling builds in my stomach. Is he going to hurt me? The powers react instantly, my fear propelling a gust of wind to whip through the hall. Vases and other artifacts are thrown from their pedestals and shatter against the ground. Kahmunrah heaves a sigh.

 _"_ _Well, don't say I didn't warn you."_

His fingers close around the charm, and he extends his fist towards me. His expression hardens. At first, nothing happens. I'm about to blow him off his feet when it hits me. A cold, icy fist slowly closes around my throat. So agonizingly slow. He sees my eyes widen in fear, and he smiles. A strangled gasp escapes me, and the fist squeezes tighter. The chill spreads into my lungs, forcing every ounce of air out of me. I raise my hands to my throat in an attempt to pry open the hand, but there is nothing there. My chest is heaving for air I can't give it. My mouth drops open in a silent scream as I claw at my throat, the suffocating ice wrapping around my neck tighter than a snake. My knees go weak. More strange noises escape me as I try to take in air, but nothing. I've been frozen. It's so cold it feels hot. I drop to my hands and knees, palms flat against the tile. My back arches and my head pounds. Dark spots ease into my vision, the choking sensation becoming stronger and stronger until I can't feel anything else.

It disappears.

I collapse to the tiles, inhaling air so quickly it hurts. My breathing is ragged, I sound like some sort of goose. Pressing my hands to my throat, I squeeze my eyes shut and take in breath after breath. Breath after breath. Breath after breath. Finally, my breathing steadies into heavy gasping, and Kahmunrah speaks.

 _"_ _Are you ready to tell me everything?"_

 _"_ _No."_ I croak out, my stomach feeling sick.

He chuckles, sounding exasperated, _"Dearest, you can't survive this for much longer."_

 _"_ _I'd rather die anyways."_

 _"_ _Then we'll make sure that doesn't happen. Here we go again."_

No. Please, no. I wait, curling into a tight ball and squeezing my eyes shut as I wait for the icy fist to tighten again. It doesn't come. A new feeling descends over me, warming me from the inside out. It's a good feeling. A delicious feeling. Opening my eyes, I find myself in a room. I'm laying on obsidian tiles, the walls painted in a rich, dark burgundy. Heavy velvet drapes cover the windows, dark wood and leather furniture littering the room. The thing that draws my attention, however, is the bed. It's massive, a four poster bed with dark silk sheets. My legs uncurl from beneath me, and I slowly get to my feet. Ahk's eyes are warm and lustful, gazing at me from beneath hooded lids. He is standing at the foot of the bed, wearing nothing but a pair of dark silk pajama pants.

 _"_ _Come here."_ he purrs, extending a hand towards me.

I approach without hesitation, slipping my fingers into his soft, strong hand. His fingers close around mine, and he pulls me against him. My fingers splay against his chest, feeling the hard muscle beneath my palm. He places my hand behind his head and I immediately bury my fingers into his dark curls. His eyes are dark, his mouth curled into a smirk that makes a dull ache spark deep inside of my belly. His hands run up and down my sides, provoking chills all over me. I'm not wearing any clothing. Hm. What a shame. His hands slide over my skin, warming me. I tug him closer to me, a burning desire engulfing me. Ahk lowers his lips to meet mine. Slowly, tenderly. He caresses my mouth with his, his hands continuing to roam over me. I tighten my grip on his hair, and he gets the message. His tongue slips into my mouth, dominating me in an instant. His hands drift down to my backside, grabbing and squeezing. He elicits a soft moan from me, which only spurs him on to continue. Electricity rolls over me in waves. I squeeze my eyes shut even tighter. His hands roam to darker places, and my eyes pop open with a sharp gasp. I'm more than prepared to shove him back onto the bed, but the bed has disappeared.

In fact, everything has disappeared. The room is gone, Ahk is gone. And yet, I'm still pressed against someone. His hands tighten on me again, but all the warmth has drained from my body. Kahmunrah's mouth continues to roam my throat and collarbones, biting and kissing. A huge, intense feeling of despair descends on me. Hot tears spring into my eyes, blurring my vision. He just took advantage of me. No, he's still taking advantage of me. But he's so into it, he couldn't have stopped it consciously. I don't feel the ankh pressed against my backside where his hands continue to roam. He must have dropped it! An insane sense of hope surges in my chest. Subtly, I tilt my head to the side. He takes advantage of the newly exposed skin while my eyes roam the floor behind us. There it is. He must have thrown it, it's so far across the room. It's almost near the door. Could I escape with it? Experimentally, I attempt to move in his arms, but I can't budge an inch. His grip is practically iron. I know what I have to do. I swallow once, hard, before conjuring up the image of Ahk to the best of my ability. Taking a deep breath, I place both of my hands on either side of Kahmunrah's face and tug his head up. Before he can see the seething hatred in my eyes I crush my lips against his, sticking my tongue into his mouth as forcefully as I can manage. It's Ahk. It's Ahk. He responds by removing his hands from my backside, thank goodness, and holding the back of my head. His fingers tighten painfully in my hair once more, but I force myself to ignore it as his tongue dances with mine. My skin is positively crawling with disgust, but he did what I wanted him to do. I push us backwards until he drops onto the chaise, letting go of me for a brief instant. I take my chance. He gazes up at me from the chaise. He thinks I'm still under his spell. I flutter my lashes at him, taking my lower lip between my teeth. Once his eyes lock on mine, I capture him. This time, it works.

 _"_ _I'm going to leave, and you're not going to stop me. You will not come after me, and you will not hurt anyone. Understood?"_

 _"I'm not going to stop you."_ he says dreamily, eyes fogging up.

But I can't just leave it at that.

 _"_ _From now on, anytime you get aroused, you will admit it loudly and clearly to everyone in the room. You will then break into the macarena. Once the dance is done, you can leave the room."_

 _"_ _I can leave the room."_ he repeats.

I turn and walk away, hurrying down the hall. My white dress billows behind me, seeming ironic for what just happened. I feel... dirty. I stoop and pick up the necklace. A feeling of calm descends over me, the electricity inside of me fizzling out. My brain is released from a hold I couldn't feel before, but I can tell that something has happened. For the first time in a long time, I feel human again. The first sob escapes my throat.

 _ **hey there! hope you liked it! ugh. why couldn't it have actually been ahk? *cries* anyways, hello and thank you to chien1 (thank you for your review!), denachan91, Sammijoee (thanks for following me!), Viltho, The Silvernote (your review was so sweet thank you), ToriBlock (for following the first my goodness I have no idea how people are still reading it. to be truthful, I think I'm going to delete it so rewriting will be easier. I'll keep ya posted!), LexizAexo (thanks for following me!), TheDevilsDaughter267, ariannapeters18, The Dark Lady55, caleb's babe, ZiioVillo, awesomeadvice, A Rabid Fan (see note to ToriBlock above about the first! also, thanks for following rose as well), danceduck21, aine hathaway, and leeniejs (thanks for your review! don't worry, not giving up on this story haha)! you guys are awesome I feel horrible for my long breaks between updates but I don't want to post something I'm not proud of and that means not forcing myself to write but rather letting it come. thanks for your endless support, and your AWESOME REVIEWS I love reviews seriously please don't hesitate to just leave a little emoji for all i care I just love reviews. so much. let me know how you liked it! if you did, please review, favorite, and follow! until next time you beautiful humans.**_


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

"It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. I promise."

Larry's mildly terrified expression eases, replaced by pain as his arm accidentally shifts. My heart aches just looking at him, a walking reminder of why I need this necklace. Control. Ever since I slipped it over my head I've felt so normal I've nearly been brought to tears several times just from the feeling. I took for granted my ability to think my own thoughts, to control my own actions. Now that I have it back, a huge weight has been thrown from my back. I'm Alex again. Just Alex. I can still feel the power within me, but it seems tamer somehow. I can control it, it doesn't control me. It is for this reason that I've deemed it safe to return to Nicky and Larry. I won't hurt them. I won't.

"Can I look at your arm, please?"

Larry, seeming to sense the change within me, hesitantly extends his arm towards me. The wound doesn't look any less angry than it did when it first happened. The layers of skin that blackened and curled back revealed that painfully bright red skin beneath, enough to give any squeamish person a serious stomachache. I firmly grasp his hand, holding my other hand over his burn. I close my eyes. A warm, tingling feeling spreads through me, and the electricity sparks to life. But this time, it's different. I'm still in control. It's a spectacularly relieving sensation. After feeling so out of control these past days, I'm almost moved to tears again. Seconds later, I release him. Upon opening my eyes, I find that his skin is back to normal. Not even a scar. He looks up at me, all of his fear gone.

"Are you really here?"

That painful question is enough to send me into his arms. His arm tightens around me, his hand stroking my hair in such a loving gesture another urge to cry crashes over my head. Ah, humanity. It makes me want to cry. A lot. Strangely enough, I wouldn't change it for anything.

"Oh, Alex. I've missed you so much." he says, his voice breaking.

"I've missed you, too." I reply.

He finally pulls away and stares into my eyes. When he finds that every part of me is there, he lets out a teary laugh.

"I knew you could do it."

"All you have to thank is the necklace."

He looks down at the necklace, now on a golden chain. It's long enough that the ankh lays just below my chest, glimmering in the light. Upon closer inspection, I found it to be encrusted with rubies, emeralds, and sapphires. Pure and barely cut. There are a few hieroglyphs as well, speaking of new life. I couldn't agree more.

Once Nicky has also hugged me, we turn to face the royal family. Ahk is smiling a smile laced with pure love. Merenkahre and Shepseheret look as proud as if I were their own daughter.

"You have done well, Alexandria," Merenkahre says, "I believe it goes without saying that you should keep the necklace on your person at all times. Your control over this power makes you that much more dangerous. Fortunately, however, you are now only a danger to your enemies. We hope it remains that way."

"Same here." Nicky pipes up, elbowing me in the side.

I become tearful once more at the return of Nicky's playful jokes, and him actually being able to touch me. Merenkahre's face falls.

"Why are you crying?"

I manage a teary laugh, "I'm not… I just… I just…"

I finally succumb. A tear drips its way down my face, followed by another one, and then another. A huge sob wracks my chest.

"I just…"

I'm crying too hard to stop. But I don't want to stop it! It's so human to cry… I'm a human. Me! I get to be a human again. My heart is swelling with happiness. Arms close around me, Ahkmenrah's scent filling my senses.

"It's alright." he murmurs in my ear.

"Exactly! That's why I'm… I'm…"

Larry is the first to realize why I'm crying, and he starts to laugh. It's a sound I haven't heard from him in a while. A truly happy laugh. It's enough to send a fresh wave of tears over me. Everything is bringing me to tears! Why can't I stop crying?

"Those aren't sad tears," Larry explains, "those are happy tears. She's happy."

I hear Merenkahre's confused voice, "Why on Earth would she cry if she was happy?"

I can hear the soft smack of Shepseheret's hand against his cloak. Ahk's arms tighten around me.

"Is that right, Alex?"

I go to respond, but only a sob escapes me. Instead, I nod against his chest. I can feel a chuckle reverberate through him as he pulls away.

"You're happy?"

I nod again, starting to laugh.

"Why on Earth are you crying?"

"I'm just… I'm just so happy!"

Laughter works its way through me, warming me. Now I can't stop laughing. Why should I stop? It's hilarious. I cried because I was happy! How silly. What am I turning in to? Oh, right. A human. I'm a human! I almost can't breathe through my laughter, I have to lean against the wall for support. Larry, again, is the first to realize what's happening. His face morphs into one if concern.

"Alex, are you alright?"

I can hardly speak through the laughter, "I'm perfect. Absolutely perfect. This is just so… so funny!"

Everyone has stopped laughing, but I can't seem to turn it off. That's just so funny. I was crying over being happy! What a funny thing to do.

"Alex, look at me. Are you okay?"

"Of course," I have to take a breath through my laughter, "I'm okay. Why wouldn't… I be? This is just… so funny!"

"She's not used to human emotion. It's all coming back at once. She doesn't know how to feel." Shepseheret says softly, eyes regarding me with a look of pity.

I stop laughing abruptly. She looks so sad… How can I be laughing when someone is so sad? That was so horrible of me. How could I have done that? Tears spring to my eyes.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to laugh, I just couldn't help it."

"Oh, Alexandria, it's alright-"

I cut the queen off, "No, it's not! Don't you dare pretend that it is!"

A hand on my shoulder sends me spinning to Ahk, his face morphed into a similar expression of pity. Pity? He's pitying me? I didn't ask for that. I'm not some little girl that needs to be pitied. Before I can register what's happening, I raise my hand and slap him as hard as I can. Shepseheret gasps as the sound reverberates through the room. His head snaps to the side, where it stays for a few seconds before he slowly turns to look at me. His jaw is working, and his cheek is flaming red.

"You're angry." I say slowly, my voice wavering again.

I hit him! How could I have done that? I'm a horrible excuse for a human being. I hurt him!

"I'm not angry," he starts, his voice measured, "I'm just… shocked."

"Because I hit you! Oh my God, Ahk, how can you even stand to look at me!"

"Alex, please."

"I shouldn't be a human. I'm no good at it. I just need to go back to being controlled, I clearly can't do it by myself."

In one swift motion I yank the chain from my neck, the links snapping with a pop. I need control. If I'm going to go around slapping people, I need to be controlled. I can't do it. I can't be a human. I clench the ankh so tightly the corners pierce my skin.

The entire royal family simultaneously shouts, "No!"

Larry and Nicky immediately duck and cover, getting as far away from me as they can. Tears prick my eyes again. A sob chokes my throat.

"You're scared of me. You're scared of me! I'm a monster. I can't do this, I can't."

"Alexandria, be rational." Merenkahre pleads.

I shake my head vigorously, "I can't. I can barely control myself, and you all are terrified of me! Why am I even here? I'm not helping anyone. I'm hurting you."

"That's not true. Please, fix the chain and put the necklace back on."

"No, I can't."

"Yes, you can. You're not hurting any of us, we don't want you to leave us."

"You don't?"

"No, of course we don't. Please, put the necklace back on."

I stare down at the necklace in my hand, knuckles white and a few drops of blood dripping to the floor. I force myself to loosen my hold on it. I watch with barely veiled awe as the cuts in my hand seal themselves almost instantly. I glance down at the clasp, willing it to fix itself. It does, and I slowly slide the necklace around my neck again. Larry and Nick peer out from behind the pillar on the opposite side of the room. Seeing it back around my neck, they cautiously approach.

"I'm tired." I announce.

Ahk barely has time to catch me before I drop to the floor, sound asleep.

—

 _I see you have found the charm. I created it many moons ago, Alexandria. I am glad you have found it before it could hurt you. This will all become easier soon, the parts of you taken over by the magic need to readjust to their new freedom, and you won't be so emotional._

 _We have not been formally introduced, I believe. My name is Osiris, and I am the god of resurrection, fertility, and the dead, and I am ruler of the underworld. I know who you are, so you don't have to introduce yourself. Not that you could. You're asleep. Next to your love, may I add. Prince Ahkmenrah is a good man, Alexandria. Don't ever take him for granted. I can see now that you two have an eternity together. As the god of fertility, I swear that my services will be available to you. That is, if I survive._

 _Speaking of, I must tell you why I have come to you. We gods are centuries old, and our feuds go back that far, as well. I know you are familiar with my story, my death, and, for that matter, who killed me. The gods have lived in relative peace for the past several thousand years, but that is about to change. My murderer has risen, Alexandria, and he intends to not only force you into enslavement, but to kill me permanently. He wants control over everything, and he will stop at nothing to get it. But, as of now, I hold the 'trump card', so to speak. You. With your new ability to control yourself, you can become even more powerful than before. Even more powerful than him. Your power is a combination of the best traits of each and every god. If you are trained, you could be more powerful than a true god._

 _You see, Alexandria, the power was first created by myself and my siblings to bless a deserving mortal with godly powers. This mortal's name was Haremakhet, the High Priest of Amun. His godly power made him an incredible force, and he was an unstoppable man. But, he had a heart of purest gold. My murderer realized Haremakhet's power, and attempted to lure the priest to the darkness. The priest was too strong, and he was able to vanquish my murderer. But, not before he could curse Haremakhet. All those blessed with the power would never be able to control it. My wife was forced to create a weapon that could kill the one the held the power, so when my murderer rose again, he could use the weapon to vanquish the power that he could not have. But, she was able to add an advantage. If the one that possessed the power was in control of the weapon, it would reverse the curse for as long as it was in contact with them. The weapon took many different forms over the years, until it became a charm. An ankh, of course, to beckon my murderer to rise again. And the time has come._

 _He has been gathering power for many moons, and he intends to use it to its full capability. If we do not stop him, a war will break out between the gods. Alexandria, we cannot allow this to happen. If he is not stopped before he starts a fight, there is a very high possibility that life as we know it on this planet will be wiped out. The Earth will burn, earthquakes will rip open the Earth's surface, and this lush planet will become a wasteland. You are our only hope. You are the only one strong enough to stop him. The only one that can fight and win against my brother, Set._

 **THE END**

 _ **IMPORTANT PLEASE READ**_

 _ **hello! yes, you read that correctly. this is the end of history lesson. and no, not because I have given up on it. actually because I have already started the sequel! if I were to start the problem addressed by our dear friend osiris, this story would go on for ages! and it's just a better thing to do as an author to introduce the story's problem, solve it, and then move on to the next book. I, personally, find it annoying when a story is dragged out unnecessarily for the sake of still writing. just start a sequel! so, that's what I did. if you liked this story, you're going to love the sequel. we're going to get to delve into the stories of ancient egyptian gods, and see them all in action in all of their glory! I, personally, am VERY excited for that. I want to see osiris kick some ass. he's a badass when he needs to be, just wait. you'll see. anyways, please give me a follow so you can be notified when I post the new story! it will probably be at least a few weeks before the story is up, I want to write a good couple of chapters to get a feel for the direction of the story so I can still change the plot. but, good news is, I'll be posting a preview of the story right here on history lesson, and I'll also reveal the title of the story then too so you can find it more easily once it's up.**_

 _ **now I have to thank all of you for your INCREDIBLE support. as of the posting of this final chapter, I have 149 amazing followers, 109 beautiful favoriters, and an awesome 16,490 views! oh my goodness! I've been blown away by your sweet reviews, those make my day whenever I get one honestly I read them like twenty times over not exaggerating. so to those of you that have written them, please know that they are VERY appreciated. also, now is a great time for you to leave a review and include some things you would like to see in the sequel. maybe more of nicky? how far do you want ahk and alex to go in their relationship? what should happen to kahmunrah? things like that. nothing is too crazy an idea, hit me with anything and I'll see if I can work it in. any other suggestions you guys have are great, too. I want to make the sequel the best it can be! and luckily, my plan for it is still very loose, so I have some wiggle room in terms of changing plot, etc.**_

 ** _okay back to our regularly scheduled program :D_**

 ** _hello and thank you for reading! this story has been such a journey, and I have had a BLAST writing it! thank you so much to iloveavocados123 (HOLY CRAP my story destroyed you?! your review destroyed me! thank you so much for writing that, you are so sweet! and I LOVE that ship name oh my gosh Ahkdria is our new ship name everyone start using it ok?), BleckBlah5956, shadygrl91, Nerdy Jiyu, All Alone in the Rain (love your name btw), and Acethefool13 (thanks for following me!)! I'm so glad you guys are enjoying this story, sorry you got into it right at the tail end, but I promise you the sequel will be bomb ;)_**

 ** _I intend to do some work on the First (rewrites are going well I just don't have time to do them, I'm thinking I'm just going to delete the story and then repost it because there is so much I want to change haha). After I get a solid plan for the sequel and I incorporate as many reader ideas as I can, I'll start writing it!_**

 ** _I guess this is goodbye for now. this is actually kind of sad. I'm going to miss you guys. now I'm off to go click "completed"!_**

 ** _all of my love,_**

 ** _off2neverland :)_**


	17. Chapter 17

_**hello! now before you all form a mob and burn me at the stake for my appalling lack of updates, I must confess I've been too busy to even think about continuing this story. the working world is kicking my butt, and coupled with a very rigorous university schedule, I've been struggling to find time for writing. please lower your pitchforks and accept my humble apology? anyways, here you have it! Chapter One of the sequel to "History Lesson", for your reading pleasure.**_

"Wake up…"

Lips brush against my cheek, my nose, my lips. I moan and roll over, burrowing back into the covers. Large hands snake around my waist, pulling me across the bed into him. Lips press into my neck, sending shivers up my spine. Hands tighten on my hips, breath fans out over my collarbone.

"Open your pretty eyes…"

I squeeze them shut tighter in rebellion as the hands roll me over to face my assailant. The pad of a thumb brushes over my eyelids, coaxing them open. I'm met with the sight of a messy-haired pharaoh, his dark eyes alight with teasing playfulness. Just the sight of his tousled hair and soft smirk is enough to send tingles through the darkest parts of me. I close my eyes again and tuck myself into his chest, pleased when his arms come down around me in an instant. I feel lips press into my hair.

"Just five more minutes…" I mumble, breathing in his scent.

His chest hums against my cheek as he chuckles, his arms tightening around me. He stays silent, his hands playing with my hair in a way that almost sends me back to sleep. It's the moments like these that I love. Sweet, simple. Human. Osiris granted me as much time as was in his power to allow me to enjoy my newly controllable lifestyle: one week. After today, I have to start "guidance", whatever that means. I've tried not to worry about it too much. As if reading my mind, my pharaoh speaks.

"What would you like to do for your last day of freedom?"

I lightly smack his chest, "Don't say it like that. It freaks me out."

He chuckles again, "Sorry. What would you like to do for your last day of normalcy?"

"That wasn't much better."

We both laugh, making me feel as light as air. We sit in silence for a moment as I work up the courage to tell him what I'd like. Well, maybe I don't have to tell him. I close my eyes, gently reaching out into his mind. As soon as I feel the connection, I pour my thoughts into him. His hands still in my hair as he feels my presence. He laughs.

"That's all?"

I break off the connection, nodding into the fabric of his shirt, "For now."

"Fair enough."

I close my eyes and think about what I want. I've never tried this before, but I have no reason to assume it won't work. All of a sudden, a sweet smell hits my nose. Ahk laughs.

"Chocolate chip pancakes. You're almost too easy to please, Alexandria."

* * *

After our filling breakfast, and plenty more kisses, Ahk and I make our way into Larry's living room. Another wonderful thing about this new normal? I got to come home to New York City. I was able to tie the museum to the moon again, so it went back to being affected by moonlight instead of me. So I get to stay home, and not worry about keeping the museum awake. I can also keep Ahk alive all day, every day. Just because I want to. The ankh never leaves my neck, which I suppose is the only thing allowing me to actually do all of this. Without it, I would go back to being a prisoner in my own body. No, thank you.

Nicky is seated on the couch, watching Game of Thrones. I lead Ahk over to the couch, flopping down next to Nicky and putting my legs over his lap. He barely blinks, staying glued to the action sequence playing out on the television. I lean back against Ahk and tilt my head to look up at him, but he's stuck on the television as well. Men and blood. Can't have one without the other. Larry's probably still asleep, so I can't go bugging him now. I guess I'll have to watch, too. I turn my attention to the screen, but look away seconds later as a man is beheaded before my eyes. Gross. How do people find entertainment in this?

Soon enough the credits roll, and the spell is broken. Ahk leans down and presses a kiss to my forehead, and at the exact same time, Nick tickles the bottom of my foot. I jerk my feet away from Nicky, but Ahkmenrah has already caught on to what's happening. He tickles my neck as Nicky pins me down and tickles my feet again. I try to ward off their attacks, but I'm laughing so hard I grow weak.

"No, no, stop! Can't… breathe…"

I finally manage to roll over and fall to the floor at their feet. It takes me a second to catch my breath as I hear them high-five above me.

"You two are mean."

"Hey, Nicholas, what do you say to a round of the Call of Duty?"

"Let's do it, Ahk."

I roll my eyes and stand, "I'm going to go take a bubble bath."

In revenge, I send Ahk a quick mental image of what that might look like. He freezes, staring up at me with barely disguised lust.

"Have fun playing Call of Duty." I say innocently, sashaying my way out of the living room.

I hear Nick asking Ahk what's wrong with him before I shut the door and dissolve into giggles. He's rather fun to play with. Now that I think about it, a bubble bath does sound kind of nice. I'd like to spend my last day feeling as normal as I can. If that means Nicky stealing Ahk's attention away from me for a little while, so be it. I head into the bathroom and take off my pajamas, turning on the water and pouring in some bubble bath. The label says "Midnight Soiree", but it just smells like lavender and something else. It's yummy, though. I pull the curtains over the window and light my candles, turning the bathroom into my own personal spa. While I wait for the bath to fill itself up, I pull my hair into a messy bun on top of my head. I'm just about to sink into the warm water when a knock sounds on the door. I don't even have to use the power to know who's waiting outside.

"Care to join me?"

"I thought you would never ask."

* * *

The sunlight filters through the trees, creating different patterns on the grass around us. The air is warm and the sky is clear. Larry woke up early, and decided to take us to Central Park for lunch. We stopped by Nicky's favorite sandwich shop for Reuben sandwiches, something Ahk has never experienced before. Now we sit in a circle, holding in a smile as Ahk takes a bite. His face instantly morphs from skeptical to orgasmic as he chews, and the three of us burst into laughter.

"Alex looked the same way when she first ate a Reuben." Nick says, grinning.

Nostalgia hits me like a punch in the stomach. It seems like ages ago when I first came to New York City, and my life was changed forever. In reality? It was only a month ago. How drastically different things have become. I stare out at the lake, lost in thought as I chew. Sometimes, I wish that I could go back to the way things were before everything happened. To have my biggest worries be how to become an Egyptologist, or how to find my birth parents. Now, I have to concern myself with an impending war between ancient Egyptian gods that could end life on this planet as we know it. A hand slipping itself into mine reminds me why I don't want to change things. If this had never happened, I wouldn't have Ahkmenrah. Who, at the moment, looks like a very normal college student. You would never be able to guess he's several thousand years old, thanks to a shopping trip with Nicky funded by money created out of thin air by yours truly. He presses a kiss to my cheek before whispering in my ear.

"I believe this sandwich is the only thing that may taste better than your chocolate chip pancakes."

"I didn't actually make those, so no offense taken."

"Oh, good. Then I can freely admit this is the best thing I've ever eaten!"

Larry and Nicky chuckle, and I lean back against Ahk and close my eyes.

"I don't want this day to end."

"Well, we're only halfway through," Larry says, "what do you want to do next?"

"I think I have an idea."

* * *

"I'm not so sure about this…" Ahk murmurs, his grip subconsciously tightening on mine.

"You have nothing to worry about. It's perfectly safe!" Nick says, clapping Ahk on the shoulder.

"And fun, too." I add.

"Are you certain?" Ahk asks, regarding the contraption before us with barely veiled horror.

"Three adults, please." Larry tells the man in the ticket booth.

I hand Ahk the stub of paper and take one for myself.

"I'll hold your hand the whole time, I promise."

He looks down at me, the dubious look in his eyes making me want to lean up and kiss him. What's stopping me? I stand up on my tip toes and press my lips to his.

"Come on. This will be fun!"

The ride operator opens the gate for us. I break into a jog, circling the ride for the best seat. Ahk chuckles as I tug him behind me. And then, I spot them.

"Those two! Hurry up!"

I weave between the horses before climbing up into the saddle of a chestnut horse with a dark brown mane. Ahk stares up at me, dumbfounded.

"We're riding them?"

"Duh. Do you need help up?"

He scoffs, "Of course not. I rode horses all the time in my youth."

He places a foot in the stirrup and expertly swings up into the saddle of his horse, white with a yellow mane.

"How fast do these animals go? I'm hardly wearing clothing suitable for riding."

I try as hard as I can to stifle a giggle, "Oh, not too fast. You should be fine."

Nicky joins us then, taking the horse next to me on the inside. His is black with a yellow mane.

He leans over to me, "How's Ahk taking this?"

"I think I've accidentally on purpose led him to believe that they actually come to life and gallop away."

Nick elbows me in the side but laughs anyways. We both look over at Ahk, who is hesitantly patting the horse's neck, and it sends us into another round of giggles. Ahk looks over at us, panic hidden beneath the surface of his annoyance.

"What is so funny about this? I haven't ridden a horse in several thousand years!"

"It's like riding a bike, you know? You never forget." Nicky says, his eyes glimmering with amusement.

We're both teasing Ahk now, but this is too funny to pass up. My pharaoh looks about ready to leap off his noble steed and run for the hills. The ride operator's voice comes over the speakers, causing Ahk's eyes to widen in fear. I reach out for his hand and he takes mine immediately.

"You're going to be fine, I promise. Try to have fun!"

He makes a valiant effort to swallow his inhibitions for me, but he can't hide it well enough. I squeeze his hand as the carnival music begins to play, and the ride starts to move. His entire body tenses immediately, hunching forward to grab the pole in front of him. What surprises him is when I start to levitate before his very eyes.

"What's going on?"

"See? Look how fun this is!"

I start to sink, and he and Nicky go higher.

"Relax, man! Isn't this cool?" Nick says, trying to calm Ahk as his horse lowers itself again.

We pass Larry, who is waiting on the outside of the fence. He sees Ahk's wary expression and immediately bursts into laughter.

"Woohoo! Go, Ahk! Ride that pony!"

Nicky and I both laugh as Ahk's worried expression slowly melts away.

"Is this all they do?"

"Yep! Told you you shouldn't be scared."

"I wasn't scared, I was just… concerned."

"Of course you were. That would explain the white-knuckle grip you have on my hand right about now."

He releases me instantly, and I shake away the pain. Nicky lets go of his horse, waving his hands around.

"Look, no hands! Dare you to let go, Ahk."

We pass Larry again, who cheers for Ahk once more. The woman next to him glares at his audacity, but it doesn't stop him from yelling Ahk's name several more times and taking pictures of the three of us. Ahk's smile is hesitant, but it's there, as he slowly lets go of the pole. His horse rises into the air again as he and Nick high-five over my head. Nick lets out a shout of excitement and Ahk follows suit, and soon I'm surrounded by the clamor that can only be caused by two men who happen to be children at heart. Ahk's laughter comes freely as he looks up at me, joy lighting his brown eyes in a way that makes my insides turn to liquid. And it's here, surrounded by cheesy carnival music and plastic horses, that I find pure happiness.

"Can we go again?"

* * *

Ahkmenrah and I collapse into bed, stomachs full from a dinner of pizza and soda. Nicky and Ahk had a burping competition, and Ahk won once he figured out how to utilize the full carbonated power of Dr. Pepper. Now, teeth brushed and pajamas put on, cradled in the arms of my pharaoh, I've never felt happier.

"Thank you for an amazing day." I murmur into the darkness of the room.

"It's the very least I could give you." he responds.

He lays propped against the wall, me in his lap. One hand is splayed across my stomach, the other holding my hand loosely in his. I lean back against his shoulder, pressing my lips against his neck. I bury my face into him, breathing him in as he lays his cheek on the top of my head. We sit in silence for a moment, merely enjoying each other's presence. I can feel his bare chest rising and falling beneath me, the only barrier between us being my thin tank top and pajama shorts, and his silky pajama pants.

"Are you afraid of what's to come?" he asks softly, his thumb brushing back and forth over my knuckles.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't."

"I know. I wish you didn't have to do this."

"If I didn't, who would? I can at least put up a fight before the Earth burns to a crisp."

He chuckles, "That's an awfully pessimistic way of looking at things."

"Hey, I'm not a pessimist. I'm a realist."

"Well, I happen to be an optimist. And I know you're strong, and brave. You can do this."

We sit in silence again as fear steadily builds inside of me. I've been clinging to the normalcy of my old life, but it's time to finally let go. I'm never going to be normal again. Before I can stop it, a tear escapes from my eye and rolls down my cheek, before finding itself on Ahk's collarbone. He feels it, and immediately sweeps me into his arms.

"Don't cry, Alexandria. I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere."

"I - I know. I'm just so scared. If I fail… everyone I love will die because of me. Not to mention the entire human race! It's all on my shoulders, Ahk. I don't want it."

"I know you don't, but that's the way it is. You can either run from it without a fight, or do all within your power to win."

He's right, of course. A few more tears escape my eyes before I manage to dry them. My palm presses against his chest, I can feel his heartbeat. Steady, calming.

"Now, it's only ten o' clock at night. You don't have to leave until midnight, we have time to savor our last day."

"Distract me." I murmur.

"Easy." he responds.

His hands are grabbing me before I can push him away, and he tickles me mercilessly.

"No, Ahk! Stop!"

I push against his shoulders as hard as I can, but he's too strong. He flips me over onto my back before he attacks me again, pinning me to the bed with his knees on either side of my waist. I wriggle beneath him, but I can't move away.

"You… monster! Stop it!"

Ahk finally stops, having pinned my hands above my head with no option of escape. We're both breathing hard and elated, the dark moment of several seconds ago having been forgotten. The intimacy of the position hits both of us at the same time. Keeping my hands above my head, he slowly leans down to kiss me. I half expect to see sparks when our lips meet. I pull against his grip, but he doesn't let my hands down. Instead, his tongue slips into my mouth as I shift beneath him, desperate to run my fingers through those dark locks. I tug harder, but his hand is like iron. An exasperated noise escapes from my mouth, but it very quickly turns into a moan as he trails burning kisses down my neck to the sweet spot between my neck and collar bone. At last, his hand releases mine. My fingers tangle themselves into his hair on their own accord, my legs wrapping themselves around him to bring us even closer. His mouth finds mine again, our tongues melding together in a scalding dance for dominance. His hands roam over me, cupping my face or grabbing my hips. Finally, we both pull away for air. Panting, he gazes down at me. The moonlight pours through the window to illuminate him from behind, making him look like some sort of angel. His eyes are dark with desire, his hair messy just the way I like it.

"Alexandria, I - I love you."

The air escapes my lungs in an instant. A warm feeling floods my chest, butterflies rising in my belly.

"I love you, too." I respond breathlessly.

The words come so easily to me it's as if I've been saying them for centuries. With a renewed fervor, he bends down and kisses me again. I lean up off of the bed as his hands find the hem of my shirt and rip it over my head. He kisses me senseless again, not even allowing me to register the fact that my chest is now completely exposed to him. With the rest of our clothing falling off at a dizzying speed, I give myself over to him completely. There are two hours left until midnight. I intend to spend every second in bliss.

 _ **yay! there you have it! I hope this helped you look forward to the sequel, which will be entitled "Making History". I've dubbed these stories the History Series. please let me know what you thought of this chapter in the reviews, and if you have any suggestions/requests for Making History please let me know! I'll try to work as many as I can into the story. so, until we meet again! (likely in a different story, so please don't hesitate to follow me as an author so you can be the first to know when it's posted!) thanks for your everlasting love and support despite my very, very long absence. love you all! :)**_


	18. New Story Alert!

**_hi everbody! i hope that you are well and that the new year has been a fresh start for you! i must confess that making history has been put on a bit of a hold, writer's block is eating my insides. however, i have written a new story that i think you all will rather enjoy! it's called becoming fire, and is inspired by the video game "assassins creed: syndicate". no knowledge of this game is required to read this new story, i promise! all you need to know is that it is set in victorian london, the battleground for a brutal fight for world dominance between the templars and the assassins! intrigued? becoming fire tells the story of the daughter of london's prime minister that gets sucked into this war against her will, but finds a fire within her that she never knew she had. and there are a good amount of flirty bits in this book too, so don't worry about that ;P i experimented with a slow burn instead of an explosion (our dear friends ahk and alex got close fast, and i wanted to try something new! this story is much much longer than history lesson). there's a lot of romantic tension, some cool fight scenes, and some raw emotional scenes too! i really think you guys will like it if you enjoyed this story. with that said, i'll post a little teaser of a chapter below! this is something i haven't even posted yet in the actual story, so you guys are in for a treat. enjoy!_**

A hand clapping over my mouth startles me, but my muffled scream goes unheard by Jacob as he continues to ward off the Aces. An arm wraps around my shoulders, pinning my arm painfully to my side as my shoulder seems to shriek in protest. The pain is dizzying but I keep my wits about me, stomping the heel of my boot onto my assailant's toes. He curses in my ear but does not let go, dragging me out of the stall and towards the carriages parked close by. No! I cannot let myself be dragged away. In a last effort to survive, I bite the palm of the hand over my mouth. He yanks it away and I spin out of his hold, but he grips my forearm and pulls me back to him.

"Jacob!"

Jacob turns, his face spotted with blood. His eyes go wide with fear before hardening with determination, but the distraction affords his enemy an opening.

"No!"

I can hardly warn him as his opponent cocks an arm back and delivers a devastating punch to Jacob's jaw to send him reeling. My abductor continues to pull my arm, and subsequently my injured shoulder. Nauseating pain bubbles up inside of me, but I refuse to give up. Jacob has almost reached me by the time the assailant is yanking open the door of the carriage and throwing me inside.

"Jessamine! No!"

"Jacob!"

The last thing I see is an Ace tackling Jacob to the ground, with easily ten more men closing in. The door slams, locking me inside. I pound on the door with my fist as I attempt to stabilize my shoulder, tears blurring my vision. The carriage starts to move. It is useless.

"No, no, no!"

I hear the sound of a gunshot as the carriage whips around a corner. I am alone, and all of my fighting was in vain. The adrenaline rushes out of me, leaving me with a pounding headache and a shoulder that is supplementing a constant feeling of intense nausea. My left shoulder seems to be hanging lower than my right one, and I am unable to rotate it at all without excruciating pain. Something is seriously wrong with it, it is all I can do to try to keep my arm in one position as we bump down the cobbles.

A loud bang directly above my head startles me, a shout is accompanied by a swerve of the carriage before it continues at its breakneck speed. What on Earth was that? The carriage speeds around a few more corners as I nurse my shoulder and grit my teeth against the headache. As usual, I am left feeling utterly helpless. And Jacob, I pray he is all right. The carriage starts to slow down after a moment before completely coming to a stop. I suppose I am here, wherever "here" is. I wonder what he is going to do to me.

The door is tugged open and I pull my hand back to deliver the hardest punch that I can in a final attempt at rebellion. I have never punched someone before. Will it hurt? At this point, I am already injured enough. I cannot do that much more damage. Someone begins to climb into the carriage, and without hesitation, I throw my fist forward as hard as I can. I punch Henry directly in the nose. Pain explodes in my knuckles as he cries out and falls backwards out of the carriage.

"Henry!"

I scramble out of the carriage as fast as I can, finding Henry with his palm against the glass of his curiosity shop and the other clutching his nose.

"My God, Miss Disraeli, that was quite a blow. I do believe you broke my nose."

"I am so incredibly sorry, I thought you were someone else!"

Through seemingly gritted teeth, he responds, "Not to worry, apology accepted. It is good to see you were taking steps to defend yourself."

He still has not turned around, which worries me. My hand is aching, I wiggle my fingers in an attempt to rid myself of the pain. My head is throbbing and my shoulder is on fire, and yet I am more concerned for him. Finally, he turns around. The front of his white assassin robes is completely covered in deep red blood, his fingers and chin having been coated as well. His nose is at a slightly crooked angle. Guilt comes in waves.

"Oh, Henry. I cannot begin to describe how horrible I feel."

"It's all right, Miss Disraeli. My nose has been broken before. Now hold on, for just one second. It's always good to set it as soon as possible."

"Set it? What do you -"

With a determined locking of his jaw, Henry firmly grasps the bridge of his nose and tugs. With a dull popping sound, his nose straightens. He grunts in pain and takes a deep breath, exhaling slowly.

"How does it look?"

"Just like new. Although you may need a change of clothes."

 ** _if you are interested and want to read from the beginning, hop on over to becoming fire by yours truly and give it a read! i really like this story, it only gets better as it goes along. there are quite a few plot twists that you're going to love! see you there! :)_**


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